


The Void Between

by Umbra_Corvum



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adorable Draco, BAMF Narcissa Black Malfoy, Creature Harry, Dark Harry, Dumbledore Tries His Best, F/M, Good Lucius Malfoy, Hermione Granger & Draco Malfoy Friendship, M/M, POV Multiple, Possessive Harry, Ravenclaw Hermione Granger, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2019-06-21 13:15:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 30,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15558543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Umbra_Corvum/pseuds/Umbra_Corvum
Summary: A mysterious creature has chosen Draco. Nobody can figure out what it is or why it’s here, but it is here nonetheless. The heavens show calamity, and ancient forces move, in this epic tale that’s just a fun excuse for me to write Drarry, and hopefully other people can have fun reading. Lol. Seriously though, enjoy.





	1. A Creature In The Night

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a rewrite of my only other fic, which has the same name. I wasn’t entirely pleased with it, so I decided to try again, and I remain happy with my decision. Thanks for reading! Also cuz you may have noticed, on second review I changed the rating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey everybody! This is the first chapter of the rewrite of my only other fic on this site (for now), which has the same name. For those of you who didn't read the tags this is slash and its drarry. It won't have smut because I don't feel like writing it. Its marked as mature mainly for violence. I think that's it? Anyway, I own nothing, enjoy the chapter.

**October 31st, 1981, Godric’s Hollow**

 

Dumbledore looked regretfully at the ruined cottage in front of him. He’d truly believed that he would be able to protect the Potters, at least long enough to train Harry so that he had some hope of surviving. Stepping through what remained of the doorway, Dumbledore glanced sadly at charred corpse of James Potter. Staring only briefly, he turned away, walking towards the stairs. There would be time for grief and regret later; for now though, Dumbledore had to be the wartime leader.

 

Up the ruined stairs he strode, towards the child’s bedroom, the door to which had been blasted off its hinges. Stepping into the room, Dumbledore ignored the still cooling body of Lily Potter, instead choosing to examine the decimated corpse of Tom Riddle, his remaining visible facial features marred by dark magic. Flicking his wand in front of him, Dumbledore intoned a quiet _“percipere animarum.”_ His wand glowed white briefly before going dark once more. So the broken soul of Tom Riddle had fled, and young Harry was nowhere to be found.

 

Sighing deeply, Dumbledore’s wrinkled face seemed to age twenty years in a moment. Another child lost to a senseless conflict. Now he could only hope they were all happy together, and that tonight’s events would satisfy the prophecy enough to let Tom be vanquished in a more permanent manner. Conjuring a simple wooden chair, Dumbledore sat down, solemnly watching the doorway, holding vigil over the fallen.

 

**Soon After Midnight, At Malfoy Manor**

 

Narcissa Malfoy looked up from her needlepoint as she heard the Manor door slam open. Setting it aside and standing, she calmly exited her study and walked towards the main hall. Halfway there she was met by a frantic Lucius, his eyes wild, his extremely strong emotions breaking through his nearly flawless Occlumency barriers.

 

Seeing his wife, Lucius ran towards her, and in a tone of complete panic he frantically spoke. “The Dark Lord has fallen Narcissa! They will come for us next! We’re doomed, our family will be ruined and I will be imprisoned or worse!”

 

Looking at her panicked husband, standing in front of her on the brink of mental breakdown, Narcissa made a decision. Now was not the time to be the comforting wife, or the dutiful Lady Malfoy. Standing tall, she spoke in a voice like steel. “Calm yourself Lucius.” She commanded, her tone leaving no room for debate. “There is nothing to be gained from panic. Think of Draco. You cannot let the fall of a petty Lord ruin you, you are a Malfoy, you must act like it.”

 

Calmly slightly, grounded somewhat by his wife’s harsh words, Lucius looked directly at her as he spoke, and Narcissa could clearly see the despair in his eyes. “But what can I do Narcissa? They will bring me to trial and I will be forced to admit to my crimes under Veritaserum!”

 

“You forget the resources at our disposal Lucius.” Narcissa responded, in a voice as hard, but not unkind. “You will stand trial, and under Veritaserum you will testify that you were put under the Imperius Curse by Lord Voldemort.” Grabbing her husband's hand before turning to walk away, Narcissa thought about what would come next without the influence of the Death Eaters. Shaking her head, the hint of a grim smile graced her face. Regardless, her family would endure it all. She would make sure of that.

 

**June 4th 1991, Almost Midnight, The Forbidden Forest**

 

Firenze looked up at the night sky. Stomping his hooves, he coaxed magic out of the loamy earth and cast it onto the starscape above. He looked first towards Jupiter, as he did every night, satisfied to see that it was still strong in the sky; the herd would continue to prosper. His eyes tracked the other planets with practiced ease, and all was as normal. Then his eyes sought out Uranus, and concern clouded his typically tranquil features; Uranus was ascending, moving to eclipse Saturn. Disaster loomed in the future, and the stars refused to tell him what would come after. As he turned to leave the clearing, his eyes caught upon a celestial object that was rising from the edge of the horizon, and he almost tripped over his legs in his surprise. That was impossible! They had been imprisoned, sealed with magic older than the forest around him. Recovering from his surprise, Firenze took off, breaking into a full gallop as he raced towards the centaur lands. The other Elders must be informed.

 

**The Next Day, At Malfoy Manor**

 

Lucius Malfoy was many things: a Pureblood, a Lord of the Wizengamot, a Governor of Hogwarts, a formidable wizard and a former Death Eater. But despite that, he didn’t think of himself as any of those, but rather as a father and a husband. All of his other duties were secondary, trivial when compared to his duty to his family. And that is why today, when a critical vote about werewolf control was being put in front of the Wizengamot, he was at home, watching an extremely excited Draco tear open his presents with as much grace and decorum as he could manage. Which— given the state of the wrapping paper— didn’t appear to be much. Draco didn’t have many presents in front of him, only four small boxes. Others would surely arrive later today from the Parkinson’s and the Notts, but for now he had just the gifts from his parents. And in Malfoy style, those gifts were few, horridly expensive, and well thought out. As Narcissa left the small gathering to check on the house-elves, who were currently making the birthday dinner, Lucius followed behind Draco as he shot outside to ride his new broom.

 

**Ottery St Catchpole**

 

In an odd looking house, the shape of a rook, a young girl sat, humming to herself. She was blonde, and her silver eyes constantly had a dreamy quality, as if she was never quite paying attention. Her name was Luna Lovegood, and she was currently drawing a picture. She barely looked at the parchment as she worked, her hands expertly applying the finest of detail, while her eyes stared at something only she could see. After a while, she set her tools down, and finally looked fully at the picture she had made. On the parchment in front of her was a scene of chaos and devastation. Inhuman creatures slaughtered wizards in droves as Diagon Alley burned in the background. A sad look in her eyes, Luna pulled out a box under her bed and placed the parchment in it amidst many others.

 

**That Night At Malfoy Manor**

 

Lucius walked slowly towards his son’s room, not really sure why. He’d been preparing to go to bed when he’d felt a sudden and unexplainable surge of dread. While there was no reason for the feeling, it was strong enough that he decided to go check on Draco, just to be sure. That’s why he was currently opening the door, looking at the sleeping form of his son. Lucius hadn’t done this since Draco was a baby. Creeping silently up to his bed, he assured himself that his son was indeed fine. Smiling softly as he looked down at his son, sleeping peacefully, Lucius reached down to fix Draco’s messy hair, which without his normal care was splayed out across his face.

 

Suddenly, Lucius was slammed backwards by something. As he reflexively adjusted for impact and pulled out his wand he briefly reflected on the odd texture of whatever had hit him. Springing into action as soon as he hit the wall, Lucius cast a preemptive _Protego_ as he looked around for the source of the attack. He found it standing over Draco’s bed. The room was too dark to fully make them out, but Lucius could see a winged figure, it’s black feathered wings curled around Draco as he lay sleeping. Rage in his eyes, Lucius snarled out _“Avada Kedavra”_ sending the burst of green light towards the creature that dared to be this close to his child. Seconds before the deadly curse hit the winged figure, darkness surged through the room, and when the dim lighting returned the creature had not moved or been affected at all. Two _Crucios_ and an Entrail Expelling curse later, the creature moved for the first time since Lucius had seen it. Not that he saw it move. One moment it had its wings curled over Draco, the next it stood in front of Lucius, managing to tower over him, despite his own above average height. Looking the creature quickly up and down, he made out horns, determined the creature was most likely male, and noticed its most startling feature, a pair of glowing green eyes, the same shade as the curse that had failed to take its life.

 

The creature opened its mouth, its apparently fanged mouth, and spoke for the first time. “Mine.” The creature’s voice was perfect, but something about it was wrong, making Lucius feel like he needed to run, to hide. “Leave.”

 

Despite how much Lucius’ brain was screaming at him to obey, to leave, running as fast as he could, Lucius would do no such thing. Especially given the terrifying potential implications of the creature’s first word. The way its wings had been wrapped around Draco had seemed awfully possessive to Lucius. Not knowing what he could do, but desperate to do something, Lucius brought his wand around once more, only to have it stopped by an extremely hard grasp on his wrist from the creature’s viciously clawed hand. Before he could do anything about this, the creature’s other hand came up, placing itself on Lucius forehead. And then Lucius’ world dissolved into nothingness.

 

Lucius’ world was a constant whirl of sound and colors, ever changing. It was like apparition, or a portkey, except it wasn’t ending, he wasn’t arriving at any destination. Laughter sounded in his ears, and he caught brief glimpses of people, many of whom he felt he should recognize. The laughter was broken by the sound of explosions, fire sweeping through his vision, flickering out as screams echoed through wherever he was. With a snap, the world around him wrenched into focus, and Lucius found himself kneeling inside a ruined castle, the remnants of screams echoing in his ears. Rising shakily to his feet, Lucius reached down for his wand only to find he didn’t have it. He took a deep breath. This was fine, he knew enough wandless magic to function. All he needed to do was find somebody who had a wand, and they could side along apparate him to the ministry, where he’d be able to get a crew of Aurors to come and eradicate whatever monster had broken into his house.

 

A plan of action in place, Lucius looked around the ruins, observing his surroundings. He was in a hallway of some sort. Moving to the side of the hall, Lucius walked along, examining the walls and peering into any doorways he passed. As he progressed, he was struck by just how recent the damage was. There was no plant life growing anywhere, and aside from the rubble, the ruin was clean. Mostly. There were spots of blood in places, most of it relatively fresh, a fact that worried Lucius slightly. He could hold his own without a wand to a certain extent, but against a competent duelist he was useless. Not the he had much choice but to continue. As he proceeded forwards, looking around warily, his eyes caught on something he normally would have ignored. Not daring to believe what he was seeing, he moved closer, looking, and his breath caught in his throat. Stamped into the metal torch holder in front of him was a crest he recognized. The metal was twisted slightly, but Lucius could see the H in the center, as well as the eagle in the bottom right corner. He was in Hogwarts.

 

“Hogwarts in ruins,” he murmured, his hand outstretched hesitantly, hovering above the crest, not quite touching it, because feeling it would confirm that it was real. “How is this possible?”

 

News of an attack on Hogwarts would have shot through the Britain immediately. He would have known. How-   Lucius nose was assaulted by an all to familiar smell. Death. Pulling back from the torch holder he walked almost in a daze towards where the smell was coming from. Now that he knew this was Hogwarts, Lucius could see exactly where he was. The Great Hall was just up ahead, just around the corner and… past the bodies littering the corridor. He had seen and participated in his fair share of carnage as a Death Eater, but many of these bodies were children, not even teenagers yet, and that was one crime Lucius had never committed. Stepping over the body of students he didn’t recognize and teachers he did, Lucius entered the Great Hall. There was Dumbledore, missing the left half of his body. Over there was Severus, one of his oldest friends, and a few feet away was his head. And there on the raised dais at the front of the hall was something his mind refused to process because that was impossible. Staring back at him with cold dead eyes, blood pouring out of his mouth was Lucius Malfoy, lying across the equally dead form of his wife. He looked on with a sort of detached hollowness he’d never felt before. That is until he say the form next to his. Draco. Kneeling next to the still forms of his parents was Draco Malfoy, albeit one who was several years older. A false vision. This had to be, it was impossible for Draco to be this much older, he looked to be almost a man. But, everything was so real. It was then that Lucius saw another living form, the only other one in the ruins of the Great Hall. Walking out of the shadows, one of its large black wings crooked and coated in blood, was the creature. It walked up behind Draco, and encircled him with its arms in an extremely gentle manner, bringing its unharmed wing to curl around the teen. As Lucius watched, the creature turned its head towards him, and their eyes caught. Sorrow. Anger. Protectiveness. Lucius flew backwards, propelled by a force he couldn’t see, launched into a void of nothingness once again.

 

Drifting once more through a sea of sensations, Lucius barely had enough time to try and process what he’d seen before he landed on a hard surface with another snap. He was on a cold marble floor. As he rose from the floor, and looked around, he realized that he was once again in a location he recognized. In this case it was Malfoy Manor, but looking out the windows it was in the middle of the day, not the night it had been when he entered Draco’s room. He heard laughter from the direction of the dining room. Walking through the house was surreal. There were subtle differences everywhere. Furniture in different places, decorations that had never been in the house. Entering the dining room he saw even more differences. He knew he didn’t have that much gray in his hair for one. Watching himself talk with Narcissa and Severus was one of the strangest things he’d ever done, especially after he had seen their dead bodies not an hour before.

 

Suddenly Narcissa turned and looked behind Lucius, opening her mouth to speak. “Draco darling you look exquisite! And I do approve of the robes you chose for him, the compliment his wings perfectly.”

 

Spinning around, Lucius saw a teenage Draco in an elegant set of dress robes, smiling and looking extremely happy, while behind him stood an imposing figure with brilliant black wings. He heard himself say something, but all sound was muted as his eyes locked onto another pair, glowing a frightening green. Happiness. Protectiveness. Love. Lucius fell peacefully into a whirling vortex of changing scenery, like he had twice before.

 

The experience was similar, different only in details. An orchestra played in the background as lightning flashed through a sunny sky. More and more images and sounds flashed by, until they ended with a snap and Lucius landed on lush green grass. Rising once more, Lucius looked around at where he had ended up. He was in a massive flower garden. How odd. Everywhere he looked there were massive bushes of perfect roses, blooming in rich and vibrant colors. Above it all however was some sort of sickly sent that was making him nauseous. But Lucius was not here to admire the scenery, nor to be sick. He’d figured out how this worked. Walking around, he looked for his family, and for the creature that would send him onward. When he walked through an archway and saw them he froze, for this had not been what he had expected. Rising in front of Lucius were two perfectly maintained topiaries of him and Narcissa, immaculate in every way. They stood on either side of a wooden throne, in which sat a boy, a man. In which sat his son as a teenager, back straight, glaring down at the people in front of him, his eyes cold, a crown of thorns resting upon his head. Behind him stood the inhuman figure, its appearance more cruel somehow then it had been before. Lucius looked towards the figure, expecting to lock eyes and be sent onwards, but the creature did not move to look at him. Instead, the glowing green eyes looked at the same thing as Draco, the group of poor starving people kneeling before the throne, eyes full of fear. They were begging Draco for something, but he just glared at them with hard unfeeling eyes.

 

Then Lucius’ son opened his mouth to speak, and the voice that came out of his son’s mouth was so dark and full of contempt that it sent a shiver down his spine. “You have begun to annoy me.”

 

At Draco’s words, the supplicants’ eyes widened even further and they began to beg, for what Lucius could not make out amidst the throng of voices. It soon became clear however, what they had wished, as the monster standing behind Draco raised a clawed hand towards the group, and pulled. Lucius watched as the rose bushes around them writhed, and branches and vines burst out, grabbing the peasants and pulling them towards the plants. They screamed as the thorns cut into their skin, dug through their flesh, all the way up until they were dragged fully into the plants and the muffled screams cut off. As the plants became still once more, the sickly sweet stench that Lucius had been smelling got stronger, and he almost gagged as he realized it’s source. The most horrifying thing in all this however, was that through it all, Draco had simply sat on his throne and watched, his face showing nothing but mild disinterest, before gesturing at the creature behind him, who proceeded to lean over and place a kiss on the blonde teen’s lips. As the creature stood back up again, his eyes caught Lucius’. Triumph. Servitude. Love. Lucius had no time to scream as felt thorns bite into his skin, for a vine had already wrapped around his throat as he was dragged backwards into the bushes, his eyes still locked on green the color of death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And that's the end of the first chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Leave your thoughts in the comments below. Toodles!


	2. A Trip To Gringotts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here’s the second chapter of the rewrite folks, picking up where the last one left off. I hope you enjoy reading it. I own nothing

Lucius hit reality like it was a solid object, thrust back into the real world as his body struggled to remember that it could breathe; that it wasn’t being strangled to death by magically carnivorous plants. Looking warily at the creature that had sent him on a vision hopping adventure, he considered what had just happened. His rather formidable Occlumency shields had been bypassed, and he’d been thrust into a mental landscape without realizing it. The creature’s ability to bypass his shields was worrying, but not entirely surprising given how Lucius’ other magic had failed to affect it. He couldn’t worry about that now however. For right now he needed to worry about the creature that had invaded his house, and more importantly Draco’s room. He looked up, and the creature was no longer standing where it had been, instead it was once again curled protectively around Draco’s slumbering form. Taking a step forward, Lucius was stopped by a growl, and a glare from the creature’s glowing green eyes. Watching it warily, Lucius considered what his course of action would be. As furious as Lucius was about the situation, it didn’t appear that the creature was immediately dangerous to Draco, the visions had shown that.

 

Thus Lucius was already prepared to take his leave when the creature spoke again, “Leave.” Its voice triggering something in Lucius, causing him to automatically move towards the door. He forced himself to stop briefly, before deciding to leave anyway, his walk back towards his room much shakier than the walk there.

 

**POV Switch**

 

Narcissa was sitting on the bed reading a book when she heard the door open, looking up to see her husband entering the room. She was about to say something, but before she could, she saw the way her husband was shaking. A worried look crept across her face as she stood, walking around the bed towards Lucius. He’d been going to check up on Draco, and if something happened that caused him to lose his composure, it couldn’t be anything good. Drawing him into a hug, she held him for a couple of minutes, only drawing away when she felt the shaking stop and his breathing regularize.

 

His hand held in her’s, she spoke softly, rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb. “What happened love? What’s wrong?”

 

Narcissa watched Lucius’ face intently as she waited for an answer, taking in the worry and fear etched on his features. He opened and closed his mouth several times, clearly trying to say something but not quite managing to get it out. She was about to say something more when Lucius looked directly into her eyes, and shoulders sagging, simply said “Please.”

 

Knowing what was going on, as they’d done this sort of thing before, Narcissa slipped quietly into her husband's head. This was one of the things that most people didn’t know, but she was actually a fairly accomplished legilimens, and while she was not the Dark Lord, in this vestige of the mental arts she felt she was better even then Severus. Looking around her husband’s orderly mindscape, she found a close area, the mental constructs within it in a state of disarray. Drifting towards it, she saw that this was indeed the memories from tonight, she could see the new one forming. It didn’t take her long to find the relevant memory, as it appeared to be the source of much of the confusion. Reaching out, she slipped in, and simply watched, aghast, as the events of that night played in front of her.

 

When the memory finished, Narcissa quickly exited Lucius’s mind, feeling his defenses go back up behind her. Blinking several times as her mind returned to her body, she simply looked at Lucius for a while, gathering her thoughts before she spoke. “Everything is fine for now dear. The creature doesn’t look like it’s going to harm Draco; in fact it look like it will do quite the opposite.” She pulled him towards the bed as she continued speaking, settling them in for the night. “We can start looking into it tomorrow. We have the resources of multiple families at our disposal. We will make certain out our family— our son, is safe. For now though, it is time to go to sleep, we can worry about this in the morning.”

 

She sat there in the bed, and held Lucius in her arms until he fell asleep. After a few minutes of simply looking at her husband’s sleeping form, she carefully moved out from under him, slipping off the bed and quietly slipping on a more substantial robe. She stopped briefly by the edge of the bed, pressing a kiss onto Lucius’ brow before turning to exit the room. As she walked through the hallways of Malfoy Manor, she did so with a purpose. Despite her words to Lucius, there were some things she needed to do, and she needed to have them done before anybody woke up.

 

**The Next Day, At Malfoy Manor**

 

Draco sat up, blinking his eyes to clear the tiredness. Yawning, he got out of bed, plodding over to his wardrobe to pick out his clothes for the day. Arm full of clothes, a weary looking Draco entered the bathroom, hair stuck up at odd angles, looking tired, vastly different from his normal appearance. An hour and a half later, he exited the bathroom, some steam escaping through the open door. His hair was now impeccably styled, and all traces of tiredness were gone from his face; he was now the aristocratic heir that the rest of the world saw. He walked down towards the dining room with elegant grace, not rushing like some peasant. Or at least he did until he remembered what his father had said yesterday; today he was being taken to Diagon Alley to do school shopping. That meant he was going to get his wand! Proceeding the rest of the way to the dining room at a pace barely under running, Draco’s face was a mask of excitement as he rushed into the room. This dimmed slightly at what he found— or rather, didn’t find— inside. His mother was sitting at the table, waiting for him to arrive, but his father was nowhere to be seen. This was jarring to Draco, because for as long as he could remember his family had made a point to always have breakfast together, regardless of what was going on. With the exception of terrible illnesses, all three Malfoy’s ate breakfast together every morning, even when Draco’s parents had to floo in to do so. So for his father to not be present was odd, and more then a bit flustering.

 

Looking towards his mother, there was a slight tinge of concern in his voice as he asked his question. “Mother, why isn’t father here? Is he sick?”

 

At his question something odd flickered through his mother’s eyes, but what it was he couldn’t tell. It cleared quickly however, and her expression was normal as she answered. “I don’t know exactly why, Draco darling. He was called in to the Department of Mysteries and he couldn’t refuse. He’ll be gone for a few days; I don’t know exactly how many. I’m sorry dear, I’ll be taking you to Diagon today instead of him.”

 

Subdued slightly, Draco sat down and began to eat, less then pleased with this abnormal event. As he did, he missed the looks the house elves kept sending towards the empty air behind him, though Narcissa certainly did not.

 

**Earlier That Morning, At The Ministry**

 

Lucius Malfoy strode through the Ministry building, his intimidating presence keeping most people out of his way. Today he was headed to the Department of Mysteries, and he walked with a purpose, ignoring anybody who was brave enough to talk to him. He had briefly considered the Magical Creature’s Department, but had discarded it. Due to his… political alignments, Lucius was fully aware of every human like creature that Department handled. Thus the Department of Mysteries was his best hope, holding the largest hoard of obscure magical lore the Ministry was aware of. While normal Ministry personnel didn’t have access to this stash, Lucius was influential enough with Fudge that people didn’t ask questions. There were numerous advantages to being rich after all.

 

**Gringotts, Later That Morning**

 

Narcissa watched as Draco exited the floo into Gringotts lobby, stumbling slightly as he did so. Seeing that he was following her, she walked up to one of the open tellers, and waited, speaking as soon as the goblin looked up.

 

The way she spoke in public was carefully crafted, managing to demonstrate her respect for both you and your position, while also giving off the impression that she was leagues above you regardless. “Greeting Master Goblin, I would like to speak to the Black account manager.”

 

“Of course Lady Malfoy,” came the goblin’s response, his tone equal in superiority, “I shall need to verify your key first.” As he finished speaking he held out his hand, and Narcissa gave him the key which was returned to her after a cursory examination.

 

Nodding, the Goblin hopped down from his desk and led Narcissa and Draco out of the lobby, and down the hallway towards the private rooms.

 

**POV Switch**

 

Nagnok, the Black account manager, sat at his desk in his private office. He was currently watching the door, waiting for Narcissa to arrive. As he did so, he considered what he’d been told in a quick and unexpected visit from one of the Goblin Elders. Apparently a creature of some sort was following the young heir Malfoy. This would be relatively standard— many wizards had familiars after all— but the wards had apparently gone crazy when it entered, yet the Elders were unable to actually see the thing, only able to confirm its existence based on the warping of magic around it. He was pulled out of his thoughts by a quick knock on the door, which opened soon after, revealing Narcissa and her son. Almost as soon as the latter came into view Nagnok could see what the Elder had been talking about. Not only was there an area of unusual magic closely following the boy, but the entire room seemed to be filled with tension, and something in the Goblin's animalistic hind-brain was telling him to flee.

 

Giving a toothy goblin grin as Narcissa sat down, he was actually keeping a close watch on the young Heir as he spoke. “Good day Misses Black, it’s delightful to see you always. How may I help make both of us richer on this delightful day.”

 

Giving a light laugh as she responded, Nagnok easily picked out the seriousness in her eyes and tone; it appeared that this was not an ordinary meeting. “You’re a charmer as always Nagnok, but I’m not here to do anything besides access the vaults. I was hoping to get done here as quickly as possible, we’re going school shopping for Draco today.”

 

Realizing there was probably something she wanted to say in private, Nagnok opened a drawer of his desk and pulled out a random packet of files about— yak herding apparently. Perusing then quickly, he looked up towards Narcissa and said with a slight frown on his face, “I’m sorry Misses Black but I need to speak with you about a few matters related to the Black vaults. I’m afraid this may take awhile, and I’m going to have to ask your son to leave, but the guards can take him with them on their way out.”

 

Narcissa merely nodded in response, and the guards stationed around the room— sensing their dismal— stood and left, a mildly put-out Draco going with them. As soon as the door closed, Nagnok presses a special button on the side of his desk and felt the advanced privacy wards shoot up around them.

 

“We can speak freely now Narcissa. What is it that you wished to talk about?” Nagnok inquired, his tone significantly more familiar now that they were alone.

 

Narcissa let out a quick sigh of relief before responding, though when she spoke it came out hesitantly, as if she was uncertain of what she wanted to speak about. “There… I… well… I have an issue and I need to search the main vault for solutions.”

 

Eyebrows raised, the goblin responded, choosing to pick something he would eventually bring up regardless. “Would this issue have anything to do with the creature following your son around?”

 

“Yes!” She shot back immediately, her tone forceful and slightly surprised. “What do you know about it? Do you know what it is? Can you help?”

 

Pursing his lips slightly, Nagnok chose to return the random papers he’d grabbed back to their drawer before responding. “I unfortunately know very little about it. I was actually hoping you could give me more information. The wards went crazy as soon as it entered the bank, and even the Elders aren’t able to actually see it, only approximately where it is.”

 

Frowning slightly, Narcissa leaned backwards in her chair, massaging her forehead with one hand. “I can give you a physical description and not much else. I know almost nothing about it, and I was hoping some of the older tomes in the Black vaults may help.”

 

“I would gladly accept any information you could give me. A creature we can’t see and which can pass through Gringotts wards is extremely concerning from a security standpoint. In return I’d be willing to send you any information that came my way.” He answered, pulling out a device with which to take notes.

 

Nodding, Narcissa’s eyes unfocused slightly as she responded, a telltale sign of a witch or wizard using occlumency. “He’s over two meters tall, and is most certainly male. He has a pair of extremely dark black feathered wings on his back, extending over a meter in each direction. He exhibits dexterity with his wings, though I haven’t seen him in flight. He has claws on his hands as well as fangs in his mouth, both of which are several centimeters long. He has hair the same color as his wings, and from his head extends a pair of oddly textured horns. His most striking feature are his eyes, which glow through some unknown means, and are the exact same shade of green as the killing curse. He has few other notable features that were visible, though he was partially obscured in shadow. His actual form is extremely lithe and reasonably muscled. By human standards he would look to be in his very early twenties, possibly younger. He stopped the killing curse through some unknown means, and took two _Crucios_ as well as as few other dark spells with no ill effect.” Narcissa blinked rapidly as her eyes refocused and she looked at Nagnok once more. “Though I would ask you not to repeat that last part to anybody likely to inform the ministry.”

 

Nagnok’s eyes widened minutely at her words, and though he quickly schooled his face to a neutral expression before adding a shark like grin, Narcissa noticed the sudden lapse. Curious. “The goblins have always remained neutral, you know that Narcissa. I wouldn’t dream of breaking your trust.” Standing, the goblin pushed the button on his desk once more, before walking over the the door. “Shall we?”

 

Smiling slightly, Narcissa rose from her chair and followed the goblins as he exited the room.

 

**A Little Later, In Diagon Alley**

 

Garrick Ollivander watched the backs of the two Malfoy’s as they exited his shop, Draco in possession of a new wand. It was a relatively short wand at 10 inches, crafted from Hawthorn and containing the hair of a unicorn, one of the minority in that this one had been given willingly. They weren’t the only ones in the shop however. Ollivander had a gift, one which helped him greatly in wandmaking, and thus was able to make out the inhuman being following the young boy, regardless of its attempts to hide itself. How extraordinarily peculiar. Shaking his head Ollivander returned to his work as he thought. He didn’t know why, but he had the sneaking suspicion that young Draco would be coming back for another wand, even though the one he had now was a near perfect match.

 

**Late That Night, Around Midnight**

 

In a dark room, a young blonde boy slept, and two eyes glowing green watched him. After a while, the eyes moved, and a long arm reached out of the shadows to gently pull a small, thin wooden object out from under the young boys pillow. Another arm emerged from the shadows, and its clawed hand appeared to gently pull a strand of blue light out of the end of the object before forming a fist and snuffing it out. The object was then placed back under the pillow, equally gently, before the arms receded back into the shadows, and the eyes resumed their watch.

 

**Deep Underground, At An Unknown Location**

 

Deep in the darkness, something slumbered. Magic lay heavily over the cavern in which it slept, so strong you could almost feel it in the air. This was old magic, long forgotten, and it would last long enough to be forgotten again. At least, that was the intent. In the darkness, the something stirred, moving for the first time in what could have been an eternity. As it did, the magic, already palpable, grew stronger still, focusing on the thing in the darkness. Soon, the creature stilled once more, but it’s slumber was not as deep as it had been before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks for reading everybody! Before you go I have two things I want to point out, just cuz. First, a change I made that might be less obvious but simultaneously more important than most of the other ones. Draco hasn’t been marked by the creature yet, even in the harder to see fuzzy version, and thus the goblin didn’t point it out. Second, I copied the “Later That Night At Midnight” portion directly from the old version, because I liked it and it still applies. That’s it, tell me what you think in the comments below, ask me questions and I’ll try and answer (without giving spoilers). Toodles!


	3. A Series Of Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey all! This is the third chapter! I just wanted to say for those of you who’ve read the original version, this is where deviations start to happen in a more serious manner. It’s still the same story, but I’ve chosen to cut out and rearrange some things. So yeah. I don’t own anything, enjoy!

**A Forest Somewhere, At Night**

 

Draco smiled contentedly as he walked through the dark forest; the trees were so thick he only occasionally caught glimpses of the sky, and the ground was covered in a thick blanket of moss. He didn’t know how he’d gotten here, but for some reason that didn’t seem to matter. The air around him was still, completely devoid of sounds, and Draco found it quite peaceful. His pace was slow as he traipsed through the woods, and he idly noticed there was a clearing up ahead. Sitting down on the comfortable moss, Draco looked up; this was the first unimpeded view of the sky he’d had since arriving here. Not that he could quite remember when that was. The sky was beautiful, completely clear of any clouds, leaving him with a clear view of the stars. He didn’t know how long he’d been sitting there, but his eyes suddenly locked onto a flash of movement on the edge of the clearing. Hidden in shadows right past the edge of the treeline, something was watching him; he could see its green eyes, glowing brightly, the only part of it that was visible. Draco stood up slowly and cautiously walked towards the first sign of animal life he’d seen in the forest. Normally he would never have thought of doing something so reckless, but deep down Draco felt nothing but complete safety.

 

Stopping only a few steps away from the trees, Draco spoke, his voice soft and what he hoped was soothing. “Hey, you can come out. I won’t hurt you, you don’t have to be afraid.”

 

Draco’s assumption that he was prepared for what would come out was flawed; for when the creature slowly stepped forward into the light he could not help but gasp, taken aback by how magnificent it looked. It, he, had great black wings, the feathers of which looked incredibly soft. His entire body seemed streamlined and predatory, but beautiful at the same time. He was also not expecting the sheer size of the creature, who towered over him, and who’s wings made for an imposing silhouette.

 

After taking a brief second to recover from the surprise, Draco smiled widely and spoke once again, speaking in the same soft tone. “Hi… I’m Draco,” he said, awkwardly holding out his hand and receiving only a glance in return. Only slightly phased, he tried again, “What’s your name?”

 

In response the creature simply reached out his (apparently clawed) hand, and took ahold of Draco’s. As soon as he did, a rapid sequence of random sights, sensations, and sounds flickered through Draco’s head. It was an odd experience, because they went by too fast for Draco to fully register, and he got the feeling that this was because they were compressed somehow.

 

Looking all the way up at the imposing creature, Draco laughed slightly and gave an amused smile. “Unfortunately I can’t exactly say that. Do you have any other name? Anything that I could call you?”

 

The creature cocked its head to the side slightly, briefly considering Draco’s words, before opening his mouth, and saying in the most perfect voice Draco had ever heard, “Harry.”

 

Smiling widely, Draco pulled Harry into the middle of the clearing, delighted to have a new friend.

 

**Somewhere Else, At The Same Time**

 

In a small cave, lit only by the light of a single fire, hung an elaborate tapestry. It was woven in a wide variety of strands, most of it seemingly lacking any pattern whatsoever. In the middle of it however, there was a pattern, and it seemed to be moving. It showed a forested clearing, in which a young boy stood; standing in front of him was a tall inhuman creature. The young boy’s lips were moving, and it appeared he was talking to the creature in front of him. After the boy stopped, the creature’s lips moved as well, and if an observer was a talented lip reader, they would have been able to make out the word “Harry.”

 

Suddenly, a voice echoed through the chamber, emanating from an unseen source. “Tch tch. Now that won’t do at all.” The voice sounding annoyed, but that could have easily been misconstrued, as it also sounded almost amused. “Can’t be having that little tidbit getting out. Not yet.”

 

A hand reached towards the tapestry, needle and thread held pinched between two fingers. After a brief moment of adept stitching, the hand retreated, leaving a glossy black thread stitched over the mouth of the young boy.

 

“There,” spoke the voice once more, “Much better.”

 

**A Forest Somewhere, At Night**

 

Draco ran through the dark forest excitedly, somehow managing to never trip over any of the protruding roots that were everywhere around him. He quickly reached the clearing in the woods, skidding to a halt before looking around happily, before a pouty look spread across his face.

 

“Stoooop hiiiding frooom meee!” Draco whines almost petulantly, glaring at the creature as it emerged from the trees. “I told you not to do that!”

 

A touch from the creature and sorrow washed over Draco, a clear apology in the feeling. Giving a quick laugh, Draco smiled, the pout melting off of his face. “I was just kidding! You’re so serious!”

 

Draco had been doing this for the past couple of nights, excitedly rushing here after he realized the first visit had been a dream. He didn’t know how or why this was happening, but he was thrilled nonetheless, constantly delighted by his new friend. He always felt happy and safe in the forested dream, never managing to stay angry for long. Every night, Draco had been returning to this clearing and telling Harry about how his day had gone, rambling on and on to the listening creature, only stopping occasionally to answer a question, most of which he had to work out from the visions and emotions the creature transmitted. Tonight though, Draco had a different idea.

 

Looking up into Harry’s glowing green eyes, Draco spoke, asking the question he had on his mind. “Is there anywhere else we can go? I know this is a dream, but do you have any other places you hang out?”

 

His friend simply looked at Draco for what felt like several minutes, before nodding; moving faster than Draco could process, Harry’s arms wrapped around him from behind, and his wings closed around them, blocking Draco’s view of the outside world. When his wings withdrew, they revealed a completely different yet equally beautiful landscape; the two of them perched standing on a hill above a marvelous lake, extraordinary mountains rising up all around them. Frozen for a moment in awe, Draco quickly turned around and tackled Harry with a hug. Or, well, he tried to. The creature simply caught Draco mid air, wrapping his arms around him in a firm but gentle grip. Pouting once again, Draco accepted his defeat and settled comfortably into Harry’s arms, recounting the tale of his boring day to a raptly listening audience.

 

**The Department Of Mysteries, June 11th, 4 AM**

 

Nothing! As far as Lucius could tell, there was absolutely nothing in the entire Department library that matched the description of the creature. He’d even conscripted some of the Unspeakables to help his search, realizing on the second day this would take forever otherwise. And yet, still he’d found nothing, just an ancient record predating the ministry that such a creature existed, which was unhelpful given the lack of any additional information or even a name! Irritatedly flooing out of the Ministry building, Lucius exited into the Gringotts lobby. He would check the Malfoy vaults briefly, at which point he would go home and see his family for the first time in days.

 

**Malfoy Manor, Narcissa Malfoy’s Private Study, June 12th, 11 AM**

 

Narcissa looked pensively at the letter on her desk. She had only half expected to receive anything from the sender, and now that she had she didn’t know how to feel. The letter was written in a cramped yet elegant script, and though it bore no signature, she was almost painfully aware of who had sent it.

 

_Dearest Narcissa,_

 

_I must say, it warms my heart that you felt able to write to me for help, even with the differences we may share. I wish that I could be of help to you, but I must regretfully say that I doubt I can do much without seeing the creature firsthand. On a completely unrelated note, Hogwarts is always open to visitors, even during the summer, and if somebody were to ask nicely enough, I’m almost positive you could convince one of the faculty members to give you a tour. Once again I would like to apologize for my inability to be of assistance at the current time, but should I find anything I will make sure to send it your way._

 

Sighing, Narcissa massages her forehead with one hand as she considered the letter’s contents once more. It was clearly supposed to be a hidden invitation, though only a Gryffindor would consider that subtle, so now Narcissa had to consider whether help from this particular Gryffindor was worth the hassle. She’d certainly thought so when she’d sent a letter requesting it. Sighing, she folded up the letter and set it ablaze with a quick flick of her wand, watching it quickly burn to ash in front of her. She’d take Draco to Hogwarts tomorrow, though she’d have to try and make sure Lucius didn’t find out about it; he was unlikely to be pleased if he did.

 

**A Forest Somewhere, At Night**

 

Draco sat cross-legged, looking at the creature in front of him, irritatedly complaining about his failure, once again, to successfully pull off the Summoning charm. His mother had told that it was nothing to be ashamed of (it was not a spell most first years learned after all) but the books in the Malfoy library called it relatively simple, and barely a step above _Wingardium Leviosa._ He was just starting to build up steam in his rant about magic being unreasonably hard when he realized something: he’d never seen Harry do magic of any kind, well besides the teleportation thing, but that didn’t count.

 

“Can you do magic?” Draco asked, his irritation forgotten to this bout of sudden curiosity. Receiving a yes in return, his eyes lit up, excitement shining on his face. “Can you show me!”

 

Cocking its head to the side, the creature drew its hand across the mossy floor of the clearing, and a fascinated Draco watched as beautiful roses sprouted up from the ground where his hand had touched it. With another tap on the ground, wood sprang up from the moss, forming an exquisite wooden seat, which happened to be extremely comfortable Draco found out as he rushed over to try it out. The rest of the dream was spent with the creature amazing Draco with random acts of magic, delight evident on his face the entire time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ok so this chapter ended up around 1k words shorter than the other two and I’m not that happy about it, but the next bit should be longer, and I did want to get this up tonight. Now, a few things I wanted to mention, mainly concerning the acknowledgment of the fact that the creature’s name is Harry. If it wasn’t abundantly clear already, the creature is indeed Harry Potter. There is a reason for that, blah blah blah, you’ll find it out later. What I wanted to address is the fact that Draco knows that his friends name is Harry, but not that he’s Harry Potter. The entire world thinks he’s dead and hasn’t had a reason to believe otherwise, so he’s not a massive cultural icon, he’s a hero who tragically lost his life as a child. So Draco wouldn’t have connected the dots at all. I think that’s all I wanted to say. I hope you enjoyed it, leave your thoughts and questions and whatever else in the comments. Toodles!


	4. A Trip To Wales

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey everybody! This is the next chapter. It’s a short one and it’s taken me ages to get it up because I’ve spent the last 48 hours wrestling with my plot. Regardless, I hope you enjoy it. I own nothing.

**Malfoy Manor, June 13th**

 

Narcissa watched as Lucius disappeared into the floo, green flames fading behind him. Once he was gone, she let out a deep sigh, and turned around, exiting the room.

 

“Draco!” She called, raising her voice only slightly.

 

After only a minute, Draco entered the room, looking up at her curiously. “Yes mother?”

 

“We’re going on a trip today, but you need to promise me not to tell your father, at least not for awhile. Ok?” Narcissa said, bending down slightly to look her son directly in the eyes.

 

She received just a nod in reply (this wasn’t the first time this had happened) and stood up, a small smile on her face. “Good. Go put on some nice robes Draco, we’re leaving in 10 minutes.”

 

She watched her son run off to put on some of the robes he liked to wear in public. As soon as he got out of her sight, she called out for her personal house elf. “Mopsy!”

 

With a pop, the bug eyed elf popped into existence next to her. “Yes Mistress? How may Mopsy be of service?”

 

“We’re going out today Mopsy, and if Lucius floos in to check on us you are to lie to him about where we are. Do you understand?” Narcissa ordered, her face slightly grim.

 

“Yes Mistress!” Replied the House Elf, nodding profusely before popping away.

 

That matter settled, Narcissa simply stood there and waited for her son to return.

 

**Southern Wales, May 8th 1437**

 

Through a swamp a woman trudged, up to her knees in liquid. She was middle aged, though her weary face may have made her seem older, and she had knotted blonde hair reaching halfway down her back. She wore robes made of an odd fabric which was scaly in texture, and seemed to shimmer slightly in the dim lighting. She stopped suddenly, silver eyes glowing slightly as they locked onto something, though what they were locked onto was impossible to discern. As a sudden whooshing sound was heard she jumped to the side; just in time as a large winged figure swooped through the area where she had been standing before coming to a hover above the swamp. Whipping around to face the figure, her eyes took in its form. It was a male, quite a bit larger than her, each of his wings almost the size of her body. His form was basically humanoid, but aside from the wings there were several factors that showed he was clearly not a human. From his head rose two massive horns, each several feet in length. Vicious claws several inches long sprouted from each of his finger and he grinned predatorially, showing a mouth full of pointed teeth. His eyes were pitch black, the same color as the long hair on his head. Pointed ears poked through his hair, and his entire body was lean and predatory. He was dressed in simple clothes of an unknown fabric, which was worn and frayed around the edges.

 

“Hello Cinnidh!” He rasped, his voice the mocking tone of a predator toying with his prey. “Whatever could I have done to warrant your attention?”

 

He received only a glare from the women, apparently named Cinnidh, in response to his words.

 

Letting out a laugh, the inhuman man continued in his raspy tone. “This couldn’t possibly be about the castle could it? The centaurs fixed it eventually!”

 

Deigning to answer now, Cinnidh opened her mouth, an in a grim tone responded. “You’ve done much more than that Sìthiche. Corrupting the Irish dryads was going to far. You’ve forced my hand, and now I must remove you from our world.”

 

Clicking his tongue, the creature’s (Sìthiche’s?) grin got wider. “Well now that’s rather rude Cinnidh, don’t you think?” Here he dove once more towards the blonde woman, stopped when the water of the swamp reached quickly up and grabbed his legs, pulling him down and forcing him to rip upwards instead of finishing his attack. “Coming here to kill me and refusing to use my proper name?”

 

The woman’s silver eyes hardened into a glare as she looked at the flying creature. “If I knew your name I wouldn’t be here.” She spat out, reaching into her robes to pull out two daggers, each slightly over a foot in length, beautiful and deadly, made of what appeared to be some sort of bone.

 

Crouching quickly, she sprung up towards the hovering figure above her, daggers stabbing towards him. Snarling, the creature dodged slightly to the side, reaching out his clawed hands to grab the women’s arm, yanking her around and throwing her towards the ground. Spinning around in the air, Cinnidh landed upright on the swamp ground, immediately jumping once more, this time backwards, landing in the branches of a tree that leaned forwards to catch her. Releasing her daggers she held her palms out flat and they came to hover above them.

 

“Kill.” She whispered, and the daggers immediately shot through the air towards her adversary.

 

Not waiting to see if they hit their target, the women began drawing sigils and runes in the air with her hands, leaving glowing lines wherever her fingers passed. As she drew runes, the creature was confronted with the knives, and having no immediate way to stop them opted to flee, weaving in and out of the swamp trees, slowly working his way around in a circle. As he flew he began to sing, his voice melodic and sweet, nothing like the raspy tones full of venom he’d been using earlier. The words were nonsensical but the tune was heart wrenching. After several minutes, he tore back into the clearing, where Cinnidh stood waiting for him, simply watching his flying form. Pulling up slightly, the daggers turned to follow him, only to stop as two figure darted out of the trees, throwing themselves in front of the bone weapons. Ceasing to sing, the creature returned to be closer to the ground, not even sparing a glance at the two humans who had impaled themselves on the daggers. Reaching into the shadows at the base of a dying tree, he pulled out a large two handed sword formed of shadow and simply hovered there, waiting for the woman to make a move. As he waited, he examined the runic tattoos that now adorned her body. His eyes widened as his gaze landed upon a pair adorning her right forearm, and his eyes snapped up, finding a shark-like grin on her face. The tattoos in question glowed a deep red, and the winged figure snarled before dissolving into the shadows.

 

A sudden wailing sounded through the clearing and two forms of glowing silver rose from the corpses in the ground, vaguely shaped like the bodies beneath them. Bending down in unison, they both plucked the bone knives from the bodies and stood upright, before floating to stand behind the blonde woman. Suddenly, the shadows around the clearing surged inwards, sharp edges reaching out, only to be met with blades of bone. The shadows encroached entirely onto the clearing, the silver forms the only light. Suddenly, the movement of the shadows stopped, black tendrils impaling the silver figures, who froze, their weapons falling to the ground as they dissolved. The shadows withdrew quickly back towards the edges, and as they did the winged creature lept out of them, his blade of darkness slashing down towards Cinnidh’s back. Whipping around almost too fast to see, the blonde woman simply caught the blade in her hands, tattoos up the length of both arms glowing silver, the same color as her eyes.

 

“How many people died for that shield?” The creature’s voice rasped, mocking tone complimenting the sneer on his face.

 

“Only three. It’s all about efficiency.” The woman responded, her voice nonchalant, as if this was a perfectly normal conversation.

 

She started slowly moving her hands, bending the shadow blade as she did so. Suddenly, two more forms lunged out of the shadows behind her, identical to the creature standing in front of her, their blades outstretched towards her. Their blades were caught as well however, by two pairs of spectral limbs, suddenly materializing behind Cinnidh.

 

“Is that all you had?” She asked, her voice gaining an odd quality, becoming triplicate, as if three voices were speaking at once.

 

“Cheat!” The man snarled, his eyes widening in panic as her tried to pull away.

 

Letting go of his sword, he took off, wings flapping as he turned to flee. He was stopped by chains of silver light, shooting from the ground to wrap around his limbs, pulling him down and binding him to the earth.

 

Closing her eyes, Cinnidh reopened them after a moment, and when she did her eyes glowed, silver light shining brightly as she walked towards the bound figure. When she opened her mouth to speak, the triplicate was extremely noticeable, three separate voices speaking in unison from one mouth. “This is the end Sìthiche, you will not leave this swamp.” As she spoke she thrust her hands out to the side, and the bone daggers flew to her grasp.

 

Eyes wide and desperate, the bound creature spoke, panic breaking through his raspy voice. “If you kill me you seal the future! You don’t want to do this! We’ll come back!”

 

“You won’t.” Realizing there was no escape from the situation, he simply glared at the women standing above him, holding the knives that would seal his fate. “Your life once began, and now it shall end. Your time is over, your thread is cut.” With those final words, Cinnidh drove the bone daggers into the creatures chest, and watched the life drain out of his eyes. After a minute, she simply sat down on the swampy ground. For three years and three days, she moved not a single muscle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: That’s that done folks. I hope you enjoyed it and I should have the next bit up sometime soon. Toodles!


	5. A Tense Conversation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here’s the next chapter everybody! I hope you enjoy reading it. I own nothing.

**Hogwarts, June 13th, 1991**

 

Dumbledore looked up from his breakfast (French toast with far too much syrup) as one of the portraits of former headmasters spoke up.

 

“Two guests have entered the castle headmaster.” Said a serious looking woman (the placard on her frame identified her as Headmistress Carrow), “They are heading in this direction.”

 

“Thank you Andrea.” Dumbledore responded, standing up from his desk, setting his breakfast under stasis with a flick of his wand.

 

Hopefully this would be Narcissa and her son Draco. Her letter had come right out of the blue, being one of the last things he’d expected to receive that morning, and it had taken him a while to decide how to respond. However, after finding no information in any of the libraries he had access too, he’d decided that the only feasible course of action was to try and observe the creature for himself. Hopefully he could obtain some new information that way. With that final thought, Dumbledore exited his office and rode down the moving stairs before heading towards the castle entrance.

 

**In The Forbidden Forest, At The Same Time**

 

A ripple of movement spread across the magical forest as a great unseen force washed over everything within it. Birds took flight, unicorns bolted, the Acromantulas whirred in their lair, clicking nervously and webbing over the entrances once more. The wave of force had originated from an entirely ordinary spot, no different from the rest of the forest; unless of course, you had an understanding of the ward layout for Hogwarts. The wave had originated at the edge of the wards, and now it resonated throughout the grounds, panicking the most magically sensitive of the creatures within.

 

In the centaur lands, three centaurs stood in a clearing, arranged in some semblance of a circle, arms outstretched in front of them, palms facing towards the Earth, voices sounding off some sort of chant, the words incomprehensible, meaningless in any human language. The smallest of the centaurs had blonde, almost white hair, and lacked the extremely prominent muscles of the other two. Wrapping around his arms were tattoos of stars, done in a dark earthy brown. As he chanted, the stars changed slightly, drifting extremely slowly across his arms. The next smallest centaur had black hair, woven into a single large braid that went down the full length of his back. He was the most muscled of the three, though he lacked the sheer size of the third centaur. He too had tattoos, intricate tribal designs spreading across his chest, blood red in color. As he chanted, he had a pained look on his face, the source of which was indiscernible until one looked closer at his tattoos, and saw that they were oozing blood. The third centaur was massive, his white hair in countless small braid, his face worn and weathered with age, and strapped to his back he had a simple wooden staff. He too had tattoos, but his were less obvious, tattooed not on his arms or chest but rather his palms. Facing towards the ground were two large eyes, tattooed on his skin in a simple black. As he chanted, the pupils moved, shifting over the earth beneath them.

 

After more then an hour, the three stopped their chant suddenly, the dark haired one sagging, looking on the verge of collapse.

 

“Are you well Bane?” Asked the blonde haired centaur, concern showing on his face. “The ancient rites must have taken quite the toll on your body.”

 

“I’m fine Firenze!” Snapped the centaur called Bane, bringing his head upwards to glare at the centaur who’d asked the question. “I’m not so weak that I’m unable to do magic.”

 

The largest of the centaurs spoke, interrupting whatever Firenze had been opening his mouth to say. His voice was deep and loud, rumbling throughout the clearing as he talked. “Enough. Elder Firenze in no way implied that you were weak Elder Bane, a fact which you are aware of.”

 

Bane hung his head slightly, irritated that he had been called out. As soon as the large centaur stopped speaking, Firenze opened his mouth, looking towards the white haired centaur with a questioning look on his face. “Elder Magorian, why were we unable to quell the surge? It should not have reacted this strongly, we should have been able to keep the leyline from being altered.”

 

“I am uncertain,” responded Elder Magorian, his face grim as he spoke, “the leyline is reacting far more strongly than I would have expected. The simple presence of their kind should not have caused this much of a change.”

 

Here Bane spoke up, stomping his hooves slightly in irritation. “What are we to do about it? If we cannot do it alone our only recourse is to call upon the other herds.”

 

“No. For all the elders to channel their magic in concert would require us to use the Great Circle, something we cannot do.” Said Magorian, his face darkening massively as he spoke. “It is too soon, activating the Circle’s magic now would run the risk of releasing Her, and the situation is nowhere near that dire. All that is at risk now is the castle; we shall do what we can do safely, and nothing more.”

 

“How sure are we that Her release would even be that bad?” Muttered Bane under his breath as he turned to leave the clearing.

 

He did not get far before stopping however, as Magorian let out a loud and furious whinny, rearing violently up in the air, his imposing form becoming even more so. “Such words are not for the mouths of any centaur! Especially not an Elder! If I were to call the Elders as you seem to wish, and tell them of what you just said, you would be cast from the council and killed!”

 

Firenze stepped forward hurriedly, coming to stand between Bane and the furious Magorian. “He was foolish to say such a thing, but his sin is not so great that he should be punished for it! I’m sure he merely meant that She might balance out this new presence of theirs!”

 

Magorian glared down at both of the other Elders before snorting angrily. As he turned to walk away he spoke a few final words. “You are both young, and foolish. Her release would bring danger vastly outweighing what could be done by any one of them on their own. For now we shall simply watch the changes, and slow and stop them where we can. Attend to your duties.” With that, he exited the clearing, tail swishing angrily as he did so.

 

After Magorian was solidly out of earshot, Bane looked towards Firenze, his eyes flashing angrily. “I meant what I said, and I didn’t need the help of one as weak as you.” With that he stomped off angrily, breaking into a fast gallop as he left the clearing.

 

Firenze looked to the sky, his eyes darting quickly beneath the planets and the stars that could be seen at this time of day, his head shaking sadly the entire time. Finally his eyes came to rest on a dark spot on the horizon, a place where he could barely make out the shadow of a planet the centaur sages had thought they would never see again. Worry shone clearly on his face as he muttered to himself, eyes fixed on that same spot. “I had never thought I would hope for the day where the stars lied to me, but today is that day. Maybe Bane is right; after all, if He is not truly dead, then surely She is our only hope for balance.”

 

All across the forest, underneath the ground, magic thrummed and flowed, shifting from the courses it had surged through for centuries. All around it life felt its effects, and beneath the forest floor, new life began to grow.

 

**Back In The Castle**

 

Dumbledore watched the two Malfoys leave, his calm face disguising the irritation he truly felt. He didn’t quite recognize the creature, but at the very edge of his mind he had a nagging feeling, like some part of him, some memory was trying to get his attention, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. Frustrated, he sat down in the chair in his office and began running through the full array of occlumency exercises, trying to discern what it was he couldn’t quite remember.

 

**Malfoy Manor, That Night**

 

Narcissa Malfoy lay in her bed, eyes open, staring blankly at the ceiling, not seeing what they were looking at. This was because Narcissa was within her mindscape; she always found it easier to think when she was here. Not that she had much to think about; the visit with Dumbledore had been almost entirely useless, the aged Headmaster being unable or unwilling to tell her anything she didn’t already know. Inside her mind, she closed her eyes, and her body followed suit. There was one more thing Narcissa could think of trying, but it was extremely dangerous, and had a very low chance of success. Still, that was something to worry about later.

 

**In A Swamp Somewhere, At Night**

 

“Why are we here?” Draco’s voice cut through the silence. He was held in the arms of Harry, his creature friend, as he traveled through the swamp, hovering slightly above the water. “Swamps are gross and I’m boooored!”

 

At his words, Harry merely sped up and changed course slightly. Just as Draco was about to complain about being ignored, the flying creature slowed to a stop, and Draco delayed his planned tirade to look around briefly. What he saw had him forgetting his irritation entirely. All around the dark gross swamp were flowers and other plants, of many different kinds, all glowing softly under the stars, making up for the moon that was never present in these dream. A look of awe on his face, Draco slipped out of Harry’s arms and hurried over to the nearest group of flower, not even cared that he was standing in half a foot of swamp water. As Draco ran from glowing plant to equally beautiful glowing plant, Harry watched, and the ghost of a smile graced his inhuman face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And that’s another chapter done folks, I hope you enjoyed it. Tell me what you think in the comments! I should have the next chapter up at some point. Thanks for reading! Toodles!


	6. A Black Family Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey all! This is the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it! I own nothing.

**June 14th, At Night, Above The North Sea**

 

A bird flew, wings buffeted by wind and rain. Angry clouds blocked out the moon and stars, the only source of light coming from occasional lightning flashing out of the clouds. The bird flew with a purpose, out above the wild ocean. Where it flew, one would be hard pressed to figure out, as there was nothing around but ocean, and the bird flew away from the only land. The bird flew on regardless, and it appeared its efforts would be rewarded, as land appeared to suddenly emerge from the whirling storm. On a small craggy outcropping, jutting up from the sea, a great black monolithic building rose, touching the storming sky. As the bird flew closer, howling could be heard, and black shapes flew through the sky. The bird approached the building, flying close, until it swooped even closer, squeezing its large body through a window, and came to rest on the floor next to a still figure. Roused to movement by this sudden intruder, the figure shifted and seemed to stretch oddly, a scruffy man standing up from too small a pile.

 

The man looked around warily, relaxing only slightly when he saw the bird, pausing before his face split into a haggard grin; “Why hello cousin,” the man got out, in a voice splitting and cracking, raspy from disuse, “I never expected to see you here.”

 

**Gringotts, 1991**

 

Gringotts is a great and awe inspiring structure, extending above the grounds for several stories. Those who visit the bank and enter any but the most recent of vaults soon realize that Gringotts is far larger than it would seem at first, extending deep into the ground, a maze of tunnels and cave lurking beneath the surface. But even those who visit many of the deep vaults of Gringotts fail to recognize the true scope of the underground caverns. The oldest vault that most wizards could hope to access is Vault 14, the gates to the Goblin kingdom only a short distance down that tunnel. No wizard had visited this vault in decades however, so it had been awhile since somebody had noticed this particular quirk in numbering, and most likely though little of it. It was only the select few wizards, and even the select few Goblins who would see the most ancient of the vaults, buried deep within the heavily fortified Goblin kingdom. These vaults, 13 in number, were visited only once or twice a century, almost never by humans, and it had been almost 600 years since the Goblins had last let a wizard into the heart of their kingdom.

 

**Gringotts, 1396**

 

“Are you sure you wish to do this Lord Black? Should you be judged unworthy the vault will take your life.” The creature who spoke was a goblin, hunched over in age, his back twisted, forcing him to hobble along with the aid of a staff.

 

The man to which he spoke was middle aged, his hair beginning to go gray, his teeth crooked and dirty. His eyes were disdainful as he looked towards the goblin, and when he spoke the sneer could be heard in his voice. “I must do it for my Lord,  _goblin_. With the contents of the Black Vault, he shall reign over the whole of the world.” With that, the man stepped towards the door, walking straight through the carved stone, into whatever room lay beyond.

 

The goblin turned away from the door, shaking his head as he walked towards the exit to the grand cavern. He’d known that Delphinus Black would be rejected by the vault as soon as he’d seen him; the man had drifted much to far towards the dark. The whole Black family had led themselves astray, not a single one of them worthy in over a thousand years. Maybe it was a punishment. Hopefully with this death they would stop trying, stop sending their Lord to die every few years. At least until I die, thought the goblin as the doors to the caverns clanged shut behind him. Would save me a walk that I don’t like making.

 

**June 15th, The Headmaster’s Office.**

 

Dumbledore swallowed a Pain Relieving Potion, grimacing slightly at the foul taste. He’d had a headache for around two days now, brought on by the sheer amount of time and focus he was spending on Occlumency. He’d endured a lecture from Severus yesterday after the Potions Master had found him lying unconscious on his desk, blood leaking from his nose.

 

He knew he should stop, but he couldn’t accept his failure. His mind was a source of great pride to him, and the idea that he could not access a part of it was deeply troubling, not to mention extremely humiliating. He decided to take a break for a day or two, to let his mind and body rest. Otherwise he may never find out what was going on. He’d managed to finish organizing his memories in their entirety today, so when he next took up the exercises he’d be able pinpoint what was missing. As the soothing effect of the potion washed over his aching head, Dumbledore rose slowly from his desk. Maybe he’d go and visit some old friends today; it had been years since he’d last seen Dedalus.

 

**June 16th, 12 Grimmauld Place, London**

 

Narcissa Black Malfoy slowly pushed open the door to the Black family property, looking at it disapprovingly upon hearing the hinges creak loudly. Stepping into entrance hallway, she covered her mouth with her hand to avoid breathing in large amounts of dust. Flicking her wand at the room, she muttered a cleaning charm, grimacing at the amount of grime that was scoured from every surface. What an abominable state for the building to be in given that it had once housed the main line of the Black family.

 

“Kreacher!” Narcissa called snappishly, remembering the House-Elf that had always been here when she came to visit. The elf appeared with a pop, his skin and his rag as dirty as the house around him. Before he could say anything, Narcissa cut him off, her voice irritated as she spoke. “Why is it that Grimmauld place is such a mess Kreacher? You will fix this disgrace and see to your duties at once, do you understand?” With that she stalked off, not bothering to see the House-Elf’s response. Her aunt had been incompetent when it came to training her house-elves, they always ended up traitorous or useless from the amount of torture she subjected them to.

 

At least the room she was going to would be clean; the library housed the strongest and most ancient wards in the entire house. You could set off _Fiendfyre_ in that room and it wouldn’t singe a single book. Well, at least not a single book that mattered, she thought, glancing towards the random nonsense that filled most of the shelves, tripe on magical theory or politics. Looking around, Narcissa quickly found what she was looking for, Auntie Walburga’s pride and joy, the Black Family tree. Not that it was accurate after what she’d done to it. Blasting off names, and rearranging others, trying to disguise the fact that she had no Wizarding Blood of her own. She’d managed it too, but Narcissa had found that as a legilimens it behooved her to practice her craft on everyone she met, a policy that included her family members. But that was in the past; Walburga was dead, and what she cared about wasn’t the family tree, but rather what it was hiding. Removing a small vial from her robes, Narcissa smeared the red liquid inside of it over the burnt remains of the name in front of her, smiling as the wall groaned, and the family tree faded to nothing. Stepping through into the room that had been revealed, she smiled, and pulled a book off of the nearest shelf.

 

**June 17th, A London Apartment**

 

Amelia Bones was reading the Daily Prophet as she absentmindedly forked eggs into her mouth. Sitting on the table was a pile of similar publications, all of which she would read, as she did every day. They rarely contained anything of substance, but every once and a while, the gossip columns or the heavily doctored reporting would reveal something genuinely worth investigating; a fact which Amelia felt justified reading them, no matter how infuriating it was to read about how Fudge and Scrimgeour were apparently both having a secret relationship with Mad-Eye Moody. Flipping to the last page, she finished up and set the newspaper down, checking the time with a quick _Tempus._ She technically had a day off today, as she did every Wednesday, but she found it best if she showed up to check in anyway, just to ensure that everything was running smoothly. Still, it would be awhile until she felt the need to show up today, so for now she would occupy herself by reading the Quibbler, which she noted with a sigh was the next “news” publication on her stack.

 

As she reached for the magazine she was interrupted by a tapping sound, coming from the apartment window; the result of a rather beautiful snowy owl tapping its beak against the glass. Standing slowly, her brow furrowed as she walked over to the window. She hadn’t been expected any mail, and most unexpected letters were routed through the Ministry. She cast a spell at the owl before she opened the window, just on the off chance that it was an unregistered animagus, which it wasn’t. Choosing to go the route of extreme caution, she floated the letter away from the owl, as well as floating it a couple of pieces of bacon, before hitting the letter with all the detection charms she knew. Finding nothing, she opened up the letter, eyes widening slightly as they landed on the name at the bottom. Her eyes only continued to widen as she read the rest of the letter, eyes flicking rapidly across the paper as she took in its shocking contents. After reading the letter for the third time, she set it alight with a jab from her wand, before whirling in place and disapparating, her plans for the day entirely forgotten.

 

**In A Forest Somewhere, At Night**

  
Draco was practically vibrating with pride and excitement as he babbled on and on to Harry about his day. He’d managed to successfully cast _Accio_ today, summoning the book he was reading from across the room. He preceded to demonstrate his newfound talent repeatedly, summoning various rocks and plant life from around the clearing, his creature friend watching him intently the entire time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And that’s another chapter folks! I hope you enjoyed it, tell me what you think in the comments below. Also, since it was brought up in in a comment by monstermadcat, I felt I should address it here, even though I did reply to the comment. I just want to say that if you have questions about the story please ask them, even if you think they’ll be answered by the story. There’s a good chance they’ll be answered by the story, and there’s a good chance I won’t directly answer your question in the comments, but there’s also a chance that you’ll have a question I hadn’t thought of, and when you ask it, that gives me a chance to work the answer into the story and improve the overall quality. That’s what I had to say, so thanks for reading! Toodles!


	7. An Ancient Ancestor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey everybody! This is the next chapter. There’s a little bit of a time skip here, putting us at July 21st. It’s in the section header, I just wanted to acknowledge it. I hope you enjoy the chapter, I own nothing.

**July 21st, Gringotts**

 

Narcissa knocked lightly before entering Nagnok’s Office, knowing that the account manager would be expecting her. As she entered he gestured for her to sit down, which she did, having a seat in the rather comfortable chair in front of the goblin’s desk.

 

“What can I help you with today Misses Black?” Nagnok asked, pushing the report he’d been working on off to the side.

 

Taking a deep breathe, Narcissa responded, her confident tone disguising the trepidation she was truly feeling. “I’d like to visit Vault 3, as is my right as a member of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.”

 

At her words the guard stationed around the room stood up straighter, surprise on their normally stoic faces, and Nagnok’s eyes widened greatly. “Get out.” He snarled, glaring at the goblin guards, who hastened to comply. As soon as they were out of the room, he hit a button on his desk and then whirled around to look at Narcissa, a frantic look on his face. “We only have a few minutes before an Elder arrives. Do you have any idea what you’re doing! You could die! You’d never see your family again and we’d be unable to tell them what had happened! How do you even know about Vault 3! Only the current head of the Black family should be aware of its existence!”

 

“Be calm Nagnok,” Narcissa responded, only the smallest hint of worry seeping into her voice. “I know what I’m doing, I’ve read the family history. The risk is worth it.”

 

The goblin’s face calmed slightly at her words, but worry was still evident in his tone and in the expression on his face. “I hope it is. I’ve become rather fond of you, and I would hate for you to share the fate of so many other Blacks.”

 

Just as he finished speaking, the door to his office creaked open, and an ancient looking goblin hobbled in, gesturing for Narcissa to come with him.

 

**POV Switch**

 

The goblin elder named Dirtak looked up at the witch walking next to him as they passed through the gates to the goblin kingdom. This was the first human that he’d led through these gates in almost 600 years. At least this one looked to have a chance of surviving the vault’s magic however. And wouldn’t that be a sight to behold? They walked side by side in complete silence towards the cavern that housed the vaults, Dirtak lost in his memories, and Narcissa deep in thought.

 

Entering the cavern, Dirtak led Narcissa to a set of stone doors, ornately carved and seemingly sealed shut, a three emblazoned in the rock above them. Turning towards Narcissa, Dirtak spoke, giving her a final chance to back out, and directions on how to proceed. “If you truly wish to continue with this course of action Misses Black, you need only to step through the stone door. If you are truly of Black blood, you will be able to pass through, and face the judgement of the vault. Are you sure you’re willing to risk your life for whatever you’re doing?”

 

She glanced towards him quickly as she stepped towards the door. “For my family, yes.” With that, she took a deep breath and stepped into the stone, vanishing completely into the doors.

 

Behind her, Dirtak nodded. It was a better reason then many. Perhaps she had a real chance. With that thought he stood there, preparing for a long wait. He would stand in the cavern for the full year and a day if necessary.

 

**Hogwarts Castle, Late Afternoon**

 

Dumbledore walked through the castle hallways, passing open classroom doors with not even a glance, ignoring the people and things contained within. He finally knew where he was going; into the dungeons, the place where his memories of the first war were kept. This was not the first war against Voldemort however, but rather the war against Grindelwald, which seemed to be where his blocked off memories were. It was worrying that he couldn’t seem to remember all the details of the war, or even the background to it, given what a major portion of his life it had been. The blank spots, the hidden memories extended all the way back  to his first meeting with Gellert, and only stopped a few years after his fall. He came to a stop in front of the first shut door he came to; the most recent memory that he couldn’t access. Today he would try and push through it, try and see if what lay behind the door could give him any more clues. Laying his palms flat against the door, Dumbledore concentrated, and pushed his mind against the seemingly wooden barrier. He was expecting some resistance, some force to push back, and thus was surprised when he fell face first through the door, and into the memory beyond.

 

**Nurmengard, 1948**

 

Dumbledore exited through the gates of the infamous prison, having just finished a visit with his former friend and former enemy Gellert Grindelwald. He was about to disapparate when he felt something tap his shoulder, and he spun around, his eyes landing on a woman who he was certain had not been there just moments earlier. She was young, looking to be of the age to have just graduated Hogwarts, though Dumbledore was certain that she had never attended the school. She had blonde hair, elegantly done up in a gorgeous arrangement of braids, trailing down one side of her face. Her eyes were a light silver, and had a piercing quality that seemed to cut right into Dumbledore’s soul. She wore a simple blue dress of muggle design, something which was rarely seen in the Wizarding World.

 

Recovering slightly from the surprise, Dumbledore warily opened his mouth to speak, not quite sure what to make of this strange woman. “How may I help you young lady?”

 

The woman opened her mouth to respond, her voice solemn, carrying a tone of slight regret. “I’m sorry Albus Dumbledore, but there are certain things which cannot yet be known. I apologize for what I must do.”

 

As Dumbledore was about to question her words, concerned by their possible meaning, the blonde woman shot forward incredibly fast, tapping the Headmaster on the forehead. He felt memory after memory rush through his head, and then his vision went black momentarily.

 

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Dumbledore looked around, feeling slightly confused. He’d thought he’d seen something, but clearly he was mistaken, as there was only him and the prison. Maybe he was getting old, he thought, turning on the spot and disapparating, leaving nothing but an empty field and a foreboding prison.

 

**Somewhere, At Sometime**

 

Narcissa Malfoy looked around at the barren landscape surrounding her. From what she could see there was nothing but a flat grey ground, made of some material she didn’t recognize. Not that she could see much, as a thick grey fog obscured everything beyond a few feet in front of her. Pulling out her wand, she walked warily forward, assuming this was some test by the vault, but not having any idea what to expect. After an unknown period of time, and an unknown distance traveled, something finally happened; the fog around her started to move, gaining speed as it swirled around her, a grey vortex, spinning and spinning until it suddenly exploded outwards, revealing a much larger portion of the completely barren grey landscape. Stopping her walk forward, Narcissa looked around, on alert and waiting for whatever happened next. She couldn’t quite tell for sure, but after what she thought was a short time, a figure drifted out of the mist.

 

The figure was female, and she was gorgeous. She appeared to float slightly above the ground, and the color silver completely dominated her features, creating a look of unearthly ethereal beauty. Her elegant and straight hair was a solid silver, and stretched down past her shoulders. Her eyes glowed the same color as her hair, and seemed distant, as if they could see much more than what was in front of them. Even her lips were silver in color, and Narcissa was unable to tell whether it was natural, magic, or makeup. Her skin was extremely pale, almost white everywhere that Narcissa could see it; from her dainty, long, thin arms to her pointed ears, which poked out of her hair. Her clothes were extremely flowy, appearing to ripple in some unseen wind, their design an odd cross between a robe and a dress. Shaking herself out of her state of admiration, Narcissa watched the woman warily as she approached, unsure if she was an enemy or not.

 

Stopping a short distance in front of Narcissa, the woman spoke, looking down at her from her floating position. “Greetings Narcissa Black,” She began, her voice enchanting, so much so that Narcissa had to focus on not getting caught up in it. “I am Libra Black, the source of the great Black bloodline. Why have you come to my vault? Surely you have been told I will take your life if I find you unworthy.”

 

“I come seeking power and knowledge. I need it to protect my family, my son.” Narcissa answered, hoping that this would be acceptable, having no idea what would be if it wasn’t.

 

Letting out a laugh that sounded like beautiful bells, Libra had a slight smile on her face as she looked down at Narcissa. “As good a reason as any, and a better reason then most. But still, worthy motives do not make a worthy man. Many well intentioned weaklings find that they are not deserving of the power they seek.”

Shooting backwards through the air, she came to a stop floating above the ground some distance from Narcissa. “Come dear, show me your worth in battle.”

 

**Malfoy Manor, July 26th**

 

Lucius Malfoy was sitting in his study, staring at a sealed letter that sat on his desk. His normally impeccably maintained hair was a mess, looking like it hadn’t been washed in days. There were large bags under his eyes, evidence of how little sleep he’d been getting, and his hands shook, no matter how hard he tried to hold them still. Narcissa had left the Manor at some point during the day last Sunday. Lucius had thought nothing of it, she’d been spending a lot of time out of the Manor for over a month, working on something she wanted to keep hidden from him for one reason or another. He’d thought nothing of it, that is, until he found a letter on their bed, a simple note written in Narcissa’s neat handwriting on the back of the envelope.

 

_Dear Lucius,_

 

_I’ve left to do something incredibly important. I can’t tell you about it, and for that I am truly sorry. All I can say is that I love you, and I’ve left this letter, which you cannot open until July 23rd, 1992. If I haven’t returned by then, I most likely never will. I’m sorry for doing this, but it had to be done. I don’t know what you’re going to tell Draco, but I know you’ll find something. Be strong my dear, I will love you always._

 

_Narcissa_

 

**Somewhere, At Sometime**

 

Narcissa lunged forward desperately, only barely managing to avoid the lightning that struck the ground behind her. Spinning around she quickly fired off a few desperate spells in the direction of her opponent, who was simply floating in the air unharmed and unperturbed, despite the massive number of spells Narcissa had fired her way. Throughout the entire fight she hadn’t moved a single inch, lesser spells dissipating on a shield Narcissa couldn’t see and couldn’t seem to break, and the few more serious spells she’d used such as the Killing Curse simply deflected somehow with a wave of Libra’s hand. As she ran she looked around for the source of the next attack, unsure of what it would be or where it would come from. She didn’t know how long they’d been fighting, but for however long it had been Libra had been using a vast array of magic, none of it recognizable to Narcissa as any spell she’d ever seen. Suddenly, Libra shot towards Narcissa, the first movement she’d made during the battle. As she approached rapidly, Narcissa continued to shoot ineffective spells, growing more and more desperate the closer the other woman got.

 

Coming to an abrupt stop floating in the air, Libra began to speak, her gorgeous voice tinged slightly with irritation. “Enough of this farce.” A quick gesture from her and Narcissa’s wand lept out of her hand, flying off into the surrounding fog, vanishing entirely from view. “Have you no capability to use true magic? Do you need to rely on the shackles that are wands? Pathetic! Weak! Unworthy! Fight with your magic, not with a crutch!”

 

Narcissa’s eyes widened, fear creeping through her mind. She had little magic she could practice without a wand, and of it, only one skill could possibly be of any help her. Taking a deep breathe Narcissa gathered her strength and brought the full force of her skill as a legilimens down on the woman in front of her.

 

**Malfoy Manor, July 31st**

 

Lucius looked down at his son, his face solemn, having little idea what to say. Draco had asked once again where Narcissa was, and Lucius could no longer tell him that she was simply away. He didn’t know what he could tell him though. Looking down at Draco, Lucius decided, against his better judgement, to tell the truth, that he had absolutely no idea, and then reassure Draco that it was fine, that his mother knew what she was doing and that she was an incredibly competent witch.

 

**Somewhere, At Sometime**

 

Narcissa ran towards the cave entrance in front of her, only the knowledge that none of this was real keeping her running despite the burning pain her legs were in. Using legilimency had been a mistake; she’d been transported to the woman's mindscape, a mountainous forest, which had been fine until Narcissa had realized that the very world itself was hostile towards her, and she still had little she could do about it. As she heard howling coming from the trees behind her, she somehow managed to push herself even more, running even faster. Diving into the cave, Narcissa landed back in her body with a slam, the memory of her aching body still prominent in her head, and Libra still floating in front of her, looking down at her disapprovingly.

 

“How disappointing.” She said, narrowing her eyes as she watched Narcissa. “I had really expected better from you, and yet I find you to be completely worthless. I almost feel like you deserve a punishment greater than just death.” There her eyes widened as if she’d had a brilliant idea and a vicious smile spread across her face. “I know,” Libra spoke, her voice extremely predatory. She gestured to the ground beside her, and a tendril of the grey fog shot out, whirling slightly before dissipating, leaving a new form standing there, one that Narcissa recognized all to well.

 

“Mother, where are we? I was just at the Manor, and now I’m here, what happened?” Questioned an oblivious Draco, looking up at Narcissa with a look of confusion in his eyes.

 

But Narcissa was not looking at him at all, rather her eyes were on the form floating behind him, and the massive stone javelin that was pointing directly at her son’s unprotected back. As Narcissa began to move, so too did the stone weapon, soaring forward, to fast for Narcissa to get there in time. She ran anyway, her hand reaching out for her son, a heart wrenching scream on her lips. “No!”

 

**Hogwarts, August 5th**

 

Dumbledore looked frustratedly at the runic arrays in front of him. He’d been unable to access any memories beyond the first, no matter how hard he’d tried, and thus he’d moved on, trying to find the woman that he was certain had done this to him. She’d left enough of her magical signature in his mind that he could tune magical searches to her, but when he tried that the results had been a jumble of conflicting nonsense. He had several different spells telling him that she was in various states of life and death, and the location charms had brought him to a random spot in the middle of the Indian Ocean, an uninhabited valley in the Himalayan’s, and a small fishing village in South America, all of them completely devoid of anybody who looked even remotely like her. He had little idea of what he could do next. Sighing, he sat down in his chair. Tomorrow he’d go back to Nurmengard, just on the off chance that he could track her from there. Not that he expected it to work after over forty years.

 

**Somewhere, At Sometime**

 

Seconds before the stone javelin hit Draco, it exploded, the shrapnel causing him to cry out in pain. Narcissa ignored it, merely glad that he was alive, and continued her sprint towards the woman who had tried to hurt Draco, who was still floating there, though now she had a wide smile on her face. Narcissa had no idea how she’d managed to destroy the weapon, she only knew that somehow she had, and that now she had to do the same thing to Libra in order to protect her son. So, acting mostly on instinct, she let her magic go, following it, letting it guide her actions.

 

She dodged to the side as lightning struck once more, hitting the ground where she had been just second before, and as she flew through the air her hand stretched out, grabbing onto something she couldn’t see and pulling. A furious storm of fire burst from the ground beneath Libra, morphing into Dragons, Manticores, and all manner of terrible beasts, hungrily stretching towards the floating figure. Glancing down at the inferno below, she spun around, disappearing and rematerializing some distance away, the ousting her hand towards the demonic fire, which froze in a matter of seconds, ice somehow creeping up the flames, chilling a raging inferno. Ignoring that, Narcissa simply waved her hand as she changed course, running towards the new location of her enemy; at her gesture, the air began to swirl, forming a tornado, thrashing Libra around while keeping her in the same general place. Reaching the whipping twister, Narcissa simply dove in, the wind not affecting her at all, a crackling sword of electricity in her hand, which she brought down on her undefended foe, watching as it hit her flesh.

 

“Enough.” It was more than a word, it was a command, an order, and the world obeyed. As suddenly as it had sprung into existence the tornado stopped, her sword dissipated, and the frozen flame melted to nothing. Narcissa was blown backwards, flying through the air to land on the barren grey ground, and as she sprung up she noticed the fog had been blown away to, revealing an endless landscape of grey, stretching on for as far as the eye could see. The only things in it were her, Draco, and Libra, who floated over it all, completely unharmed and unperturbed. Narcissa tried once again to bring her magic to bear, but found that she was no longer able to let it free like it had been a second ago.

 

She opened her mouth to scream as her body prepared to shield Draco from any further danger, but she was stopped as Libra spoke once again. “Very good dear. You have performed admirably.”

 

She then waved her hand towards Draco who dissolved into the same grey fog that he’d come out of, and Narcissa stared at her, a look of realization on her face. “He wasn’t real?”

 

“Of course not dear,” Libra responded, the smile on her face suggesting that this was an utterly ridiculous proposition. “I would never have hurt your child, I simply would have killed you like I did with all the others.” Narcissa didn’t know whether to be relieved or disturbed by her words, and she wasn’t given enough time to decide as Libra spoke once again. “Regardless, that won’t be needed now, for you have indeed proven yourself worthy. Congratulations.”

 

Even through her shock and confusion, Narcissa found something wrong with that statement. “But I have no idea how I did what I did! I wouldn’t be able to do it again!”

 

“How isn’t important my dear. All that is important is that you did it. Besides,” she said with a smile, “you are a worthy Black, and shall reap the rewards of such. Good luck, and do feel free to come visit me again; just be warned that next time the trial won’t be nearly as easy.”

 

“Wait what do you…” Narcissa’s question trailed off as the world faded away, and pain shot through her body, her legs giving out as she collapsed on the stone floor of the dark room she’d landed in. She didn’t even find enough time to cry out before she blacked out entirely, falling unconscious, body landing on the cold stone with a thud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And that’s another chapter done! This one's pretty long, slightly under 3600 words. I hope you enjoyed it! (It’s one of my favorites so far). Anyway, I don’t have much else to say about it, so tell me what you think in the comments below. The next chapter will probably be up tomorrow at sometime. Toodles!


	8. A Trip Across Europe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And here’s the next chapter everybody! I hope you enjoy reading it, I own nothing.

**Gringotts, August 11th, 1991**

 

Dirtak looked up as he heard a cracking sound, and saw a body start to emerge from the stone door in front of him. Hobbling forward quickly, he was relieved to see that it was indeed Misses Black… actually he supposed that was Lady Black now.

 

“Greetings Lady Black, I see you have survived the vault. How do you feel?” Inquired the goblin elder, genuinely curious. After all, he’d only seen this happen once before.

 

“I feel powerful, and different,” Narcissa said, looking down towards the ancient goblin. “But I’m Lady Malfoy, the head of house Black still resides in Azkaban.”

 

A vicious and amused grin spread across Dirtak’s face. “The goblin nation would beg to differ on that my Lady, and we’re the ones who control the vaults.”

 

Narcissa raised an eyebrow, calculated understanding quickly flashing across her face. “Regardless, I have things I need to do now.” Pulling her wand from her robes she held it up, squinting at it slightly, annoyance in her eyes. “My wand no longer works.”

 

The vicious sound of goblin laughter echoed through the cave; the same sound you’d expect to hear when somebody stood over you smiling, happy, as they slowly drive a knife between your ribs.

 

**The Ministry Of Magic, August 12th**

 

Lucius Malfoy looked up as a letter soared through the air, coming to a stop hovering in front of him. He’d gone back to work after a few days, bullying Severus into taking care of Draco, realizing there was nothing he could do about Narcissa being gone. Reaching up, Lucius looked at the Gringotts seal on the letter before flipping it over. As soon as he saw he handwriting he ripped the letter open, eyes flicking back and forth furiously as he rapidly took in the letter that had to be from Narcissa.

 

_Dearest Lucius,_

 

_I wanted you to know that I am fine; I have completed what should be the most dangerous part of my outing. However, I sadly cannot return home, as I still have more that I need to do. This time, I can tell you where I am going, though I can’t give you a very good idea of when I will return. I will be going to Russia, and while I hope to be back before Draco goes off to Hogwarts I unfortunately can make no guarantees. I send you my love my dear Lucius._

 

_Narcissa_

 

Lucius exhaled, letting go of the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Narcissa was safe. She wasn’t returning home just yet, but at the very least she was safe. Ministry employees were granted and incredibly rare sight that day; Lucius Malfoy smiling widely, not at somebody suffering, but rather from what seemed to be genuine enjoyment. Most of them remembered it as an odd and disconcerting experience.

 

**Ottery St Catchpole, Early Yesterday Morning**

 

Luna Lovegood was humming softly as she slowly descended the stairs, smiling and waving at the various non-moving portraits that lined the walls. On the ground floor of their house, she could hear the furious scratching of quill and parchment, and she knew daddy must be working on the next issue of the Quibbler. Good, she thought, nodding her head, that’s exactly what she needed.

 

Meandering slowly into her dads writing room, she gave him a quick hug, causing him to startle slightly before turning to look at her, a wide smile on his face. “Good morning Luna my dear, how are you doing today? I was just finishing up a map of Crumple-Horned Snorkack sightings to help intrepid hunters!”

 

Giving a quick laugh of delight, Luna beamed back at her father. “I’m doing fine Daddy, I just had an idea for a story!” And though Xenophilius didn’t notice it, here his daughter's eyes took on a more serious glint.

 

Nodding absently as he drew his map, the man gestured for his daughter to continue; she always came up with delightful stories after all, the one about Sirius Black evading capture through expert human transfiguration had been truly inspired.

 

“I think you should do a piece about how Narcissa Malfoy has eloped to Russia with the King of the Elves in order to live out a peaceful life among the potato farmers.” Luna continued, innocent glee in her voice as she spoke. She gave a satisfied smile when her father gasped, nodded quickly, and began scribbling on a new piece of parchment. Yes, that should serve to get his attention quite nicely.

 

**The Forbidden Forest, August 12th, At Night**

 

Deep inside the dark and foreboding forest stood three centaurs, looking grim as they observed the growing plant life in front of them.

 

The one with red tattoos spread across his torso, the centaur elder by the name of Bane, spoke up, his voice furious and full of disgust. “This is an abomination. A disgusting perversion of the natural world. We must eradicate the source, and cleanse the disease.”

 

The largest centaur, Magorian, had a troubled look on his ancient face. Sprouting in front of him was a tree, full of flowers and fruit, the extremely pleasing aroma filling the air around them. The flowers were a soft and delicate white in color, seeming to almost glow in the moonlight. The fruit was even prettier, resembling the most perfect of apples, and appearing to be made entirely out of solid gold. It was a truly breathtaking sight, beautiful and perfect in every way, at least until one looked closer at the tree, or looked at what lay around it. When one looked closer they could see the sharp thorns on every branch of the tree, hiding innocently in the foliage, their tips oozing an almost invisible clear liquid. What lay at the base of the tree was the most disturbing thing however; a tiny and delicate unicorn foal, eyes closed and body completely devoid of life, a small flowered sapling growing out of its lifeless stomach.

 

Looking away, Magorian turned to face Bane, and his voice was grim as he spoke. “An abomination, yes, but not a threat worth risking everything for. The loss of a few is worth the safety of many others. We must do what we can. Tomorrow I want you to have your warriors torch this entire section of the forest. Let nothing remain.”

 

With those words, the two larger centaurs took off, leaving only Firenze standing in front of the tree. His face was sad as he knelt next to the dead foal, and closing his eyes, he rested his hand on its head. A low rumbling could be heard as the earth churned, and the soil around the lifeless unicorn moved, covering it, burying it in a manner reserved for when a centaur foal died too young. Slowly rising, he turned away from the monstrosity of a plant behind him, and looked sadly up towards unwavering stars.

 

**A Small Island Off The Coast Of Spain, August 13th**

 

On Dumbledore’s face was a look of triumph as he stared at the object in his hands. He’d found it! He didn’t quite know what it meant, but he’d found it all the same. Following the failure of all the simple tracking charms he’d tried, Dumbledore had used the most intensive charm he knew (a disgustingly complicated amalgamation of runes, many of the same that were used to make pensieves), setting it to scan everything since that day in 1948. This morning it had returned something, a signature from the summer of 1980, showing the mysterious woman had been to this island, an unplottable small landmass heavily warded against observation. He’d hurried there immediately, and it had taken him the better part of the day to convince himself that the island was real enough to step on. Once he’d gotten past that particularly difficult ward however, he found himself standing on a beach, looking at a simple marble plinth, upon which rested a single object. It was a wooden box, about as big as the boxes muggles used to hold shoes, and it was covered in ornate carvings, including an extremely detailed image of the night sky carved into the lid, which Dumbledore could have sworn was moving slightly as he watched it. He didn’t know what was in the magically sealed box, but this was a bigger lead then he’d had for a while, causing him to smile widely as he got back onto his small wooden boat.

 

**A Swamp In Western Russia, August 14th, At Dusk**

 

Narcissa looked around warily, eyes narrowed and wand drawn as she heard a loud cackle echo through the swamp, bouncing off the trees and the… delightful decorations that were absolutely everywhere. She was beginning to wonder whether it had been wise to follow the goblins’ advice; especially when face with the uncomfortable amount of what appeared to be human bones that were tied or pinned to almost every available surface. If she died here after lying to Lucius about it being safe he would be absolutely furious. To be fair, she had assumed it would be relatively safe, the goblins had told her she would be fine, and while she still mostly believed them it was quite difficult to be confident about your safety while staring at such a vast number of human remains. Looking through the trees ahead, Narcissa spotted what she was looking for, an incredibly ramshackle hut in the middle of the swamp, skulls nailed to door with what she presumed where wooden nails. Walking up to the house, she took a deep breath before knocking on the door, managing this feat without touching to many human remains. As soon as her knuckles hit the wood of the door, she heard a another cackle from inside the house, and she was forced to step back slightly as the hit began to rock and shake, eventually rising out of the swamp with a loud slosh, revealing the massive chicken legs it had been hiding. The house bent towards her slightly, almost as if she was being examined, before the door creaked open, revealing the source of the loud cackling; an almost unimaginable ugly woman, her teeth jagged and rotted, her body twisted with age, her flinty black eyes boring their way into Narcissa’s head.

 

Letting out another cackling laugh, the crone peered forwards, pushing her face closer to Narcissa’s own, and then she spoke in a voice like shattering glass, “Well, well, well. What an unusual visitor to my little old swamp!”

 

Grimacing at the foul smell of the women’s breath, Narcissa inclined her head slightly, and in an oddly respectful tone responded. “Hello Baba Yaga.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And that’s another chapter down the hatch. A little less interesting than the previous one, but still important all the same. I hope you enjoyed reading it, share your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks for reading! Toodles!


	9. A Lesson On Hags

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here’s the next chapter everybody, I hope you enjoy it! It picks up where the last chapter left off. I own nothing.

**An Excerpt From “A Treatise On The Near Human Races” By Mellinous Hortler**

 

One of the race most often confused for human, especially those magical in nature, are the hags. Thus it is crucial to recognize when dealing with them that they are in no way human, despite their outward appearance of being so. Hags are an all female race, able to reproduce using magic and a mammalian carrier, all of whom are almost unimaginably ugly. Being born from the mammalian surrogate as a small child, they quickly mature to their familiar form of a hideous old crone within the span of 13 weeks, at which point they cease physical growth entirely, and have full access to their magic. Since most hags tend to be incredibly powerful and incredibly evil, we are lucky they are not particularly common, reproducing rarely due to their massively extended lifespans. If you do encounter a hag, or know you are going to an area where a hag resides, there are certain things you should be aware of. The first is that just because something doesn’t look like an ugly old woman does not mean it cannot be a hag. They are extraordinarily gifted shapeshifters, but this magic of theirs does have one weakness: the eyes will always remain the same. In addition, they share the same weakness as elves and several other races, that being that they cannot stand the touch of iron. While it is the advice of this author that the reader does their best to avoid hags entirely, it is recognized that this may be impossible, or indeed simply unwanted. Hags, like almost every other race, do not utilize a wand or indeed any other implement to practice their magic. While the particular method is unclear and unknown to most witches and wizards, it is known that the way hags practice magic is similar to the art known as “wandless magic” causing them to be sought out by some who wish to master the art. If you are in a position where you need to deal with a hag, for this reason or for any other, remember this: hags are one hundred percent brutally honest at all times. Any deal they make, they will keep, and if you fail to uphold your end, they will make you. Famous hags, as well as hags who are known to be…

 

**A Swamp In Western Russia, August 14th At Dusk**

 

Narcissa looked up the the jagged toothy grin, almost leer, directed at her by the women in front of her. Merlin she hoped this turned out to be a good idea.

 

As she watched, a slimy black tongue farted out to wet cracked lips, and the grin grew wider as the hideous crone spoke. “What is it that brings a Black to my humble abode? I do so rarely get visitors nowadays. Maybe it’s the decor!” With that comment Baba Yaga burst into another piercing cackle, the sound echoing of the trees and bouncing around the inside of Narcissa’s skull.

 

Pursing her lips, Narcissa considered the question for a moment before deciding how to answer. In the end she settled for the simplest answer; that being the truth. 

“I need to learn wandless magic, and the goblins recommended a hag teacher; you in particular.”

 

Picking at her teeth with a long and grimy fingernail, the hag’s flinty eyes lit up with amusement as she responded. “Now why on earth would they do a silly thing like that! They know full well that I butchered the last witch they sent me; after all, they got the ribs!”

 

As she burst into another cackle, this one the loudest yet, Narcissa winced, wondering whether she punctuated everything she said that way, as that certainly appeared to be the case. “They said my reason may convince you; I need to be able to match an old acquaintance of yours in a fight.” She answered, hoping dearly that the goblins were indeed correct, and she’d at least be able to walk out of here alive.

 

Eyes narrowed, the hag leaned even closer to Narcissa, her knotted greasy hair and hooked nose right in her face. “And who might that be? After all, I have some history with the Black family as well, and I’m not particularly fond of people who trespass in my swamp.”

 

“I need to face the Count,” Narcissa said slowly, not missing the way Baba Yaga’s eyes immediately hardened, burning with anger and hate, “I need to face the Vampire Elder Dracula.”

 

Leaning back slightly, the old crone was silent for a moment, though Narcissa’s gaze was drawn to her hands, curling into claws, and the way the fire inside the hut seemed to be burning much hotter then it was before, crackling loudly in the sudden silence. 

 

The silence was broken tentatively, almost fearfully by the quiet croak of a frog, which cut off quickly with the sickening sound of a wet pop, before Babe Yaga moved once more, a grin no longer quite so wide forcing itself onto her features as she spoke. “Well, it appears I won’t be killing you today after all. If you’re in a position to fight the monstrous bat, then I’m sure a little bit of wandless magic can’t hurt.” As the witch spoke, her mannerisms returned more towards normal, or at least what had been normal for the first half of the conversation, so that she was actually smiling as she continued, “Come on dearie, come inside, I won’t bite… yet!” Cackling as she finished, the hags clawed hand made a grabbing gesture, and Narcissa flew through the air, pulled into the hut before the skull covered door slammed shut behind her.

 

**A Vast Underground Cavern, Somewhere In Turkey**

 

Deep underground, something shifted. Some colossal being was moving, stretching out from where it was lying, curled up, warm against the cold stone. As it moved, sounds echoed across the cavern, the piercing scrape of stone on stone. As slowly as the movement had began, it came to an end, scraping subsiding as the massive being stilled once more. It appeared that this was the end; at least until two eyes snapped open, immense in size, seeming to crackle with an electrical energy. Sound began to echo through the cavern once more, a building rumble that was barely recognizable as speech of some sort. If somebody had been there to listen, and had been able to understand the words that were spoken, they would have heard only three words.

 

“Hoooow Veeery Currriousss.”

 

**Diagon Alley, August 15th, Late Morning**

 

Dumbledore glanced at the familiar poem carved outside Gringotts, smiling brightly at the stoic goblin guards. He stepped into the bank, quickly finding an open teller and walking up to him. 

 

“A good day to you noble sir,” Dumbledore started, as he always did making a deliberate effort to be extremely polite, “I was hoping I could talk to a Master Artificer on this fine day.”

 

Goblin’s were after all, the finest artificers in the world. As such, Dumbledore was hoping that they could help him with the box he’d found; at least telling him more about the enchantments and what might be it if, even if they couldn’t get it open. Nodding as the goblin talked, Dumbledore happily handed over the consulting fee, following the goblin as he was led to a simple office and just left at the door. 

 

Before he could knock, a voice sounded from inside the room “Please do come in Headmaster Dumbledore.”

 

Smiling slightly, Dumbledore pushed the door open, unsurprised to see the same goblin he’d met with the few other times he’d done things like this. This particular Master Artificer (who was, though Albus had no way of knowing this, the sitting Artificer on the Council of Goblin Elders), took a special delight in performing the same party trick Dumbledore himself was known for frequently using. Taking the offered seat Dumbledore looked across the desk at the aged goblin in front of him.

 

Giving the customary toothy goblin smile, the artificer (who wouldn’t give Dumbledore his name no matter how many times he asked) spoke up. “What can I help you with today Dumbledore?”

 

“I’ve come across an interesting box that seems to be magically sealed. I can’t get it open, and I was wondering if you could, or at the very least tell me something about it, perhaps where it was made?” 

 

At a gesture from the goblin, Dumbledore reached into one of his robe pockets, pulling out the wooden box that surely wouldn’t have fit without the wonders of magic. Placing the box the desk, he noticed the slight frown that formed on the Artificer’s face. Leaning in to look at it briefly the goblin quickly pulled back, frown more pronounced as he looked at Albus, his eyes grave, entirely serious.

 

When he spoke, it was slightly hesitant, like he couldn’t decide what to say, or even if he should say anything at all. “Albus Percival Brian Wulfric Dumbledore. You have always been a true friend to the Goblin Nation correct?” Receiving a confused nod, he continued, “Then take my words seriously, and heed the advice of a friend. I don’t know where you got this, but it is the advice of the Goblin Nation that you return it to that location immediately, and abandon whatever foolish venture led you to it.” Dumbledore was shocked by this response, and not willing to give up, he opened his mouth to protest only to be cut off by the Artificer’s sharp voice. “You are a friend, and you have been given the advice of a friend, which is more than most would receive. Do not push this matter lest you find this friendship start to wane.” 

 

With those words of finality, it was clear this meeting was over, so picking up the box and returning it to his pocket, Dumbledore exited the building with haste. He was concerned by the response from the goblin, but not enough to give up. He was certain something important had been stolen from his mind, and he needed to find out what.

 

**A Forest Somewhere, At Night**

 

Draco sat cross legged on the mossy floor, and next to him sat Harry, watching as the blonde boy ranted, his face a mix of frustration, sadness, and disappointment.

 

“Mother still isn’t back! She just left without saying anything, and then Father wouldn’t tell me where she is, and now he just says that she’s in Russia and will still be away for awhile! I don’t what her to be away! It’s been almost a month and I miss her,” here a look of worry flashed across his face, “Is this what Hogwarts is going to be like? I’m going to miss them, I don’t want to be alone like that!”

 

Moving slowly to be much closer to Draco, the large black wings encircled both of them, and Harry’s clawed hands wrapping around Draco’s. Slowly, the worry, frustration, and sadness eazed their way off of Draco’s face as he felt a soothing feeling, a deep comfort deep through his body. Smiling softly, Draco layed his head against the creature’s chest, and relaxed slightly, grateful for his soothing presence.

 

After a little while, he lifted his head up, turning to smile up at Harry. “At least I won’t be completely alone; you’ll be with me after all. Right?” A small amount of worry seeped into his voice on the last word; he’d grown very fond of Harry in the short time he’d known him, and he didn’t want him to go away.

 

His answer came, softer than a whisper, carried on the breeze, and Draco would have missed it had he not been listening. “Always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: There’s another one everybody! Ending this chapter on a nice sweet note. I hope you enjoyed reading it, I enjoyed writing it. Tell me what you think in the comments below. I’ll have the next chapter up at some point. Toodles!


	10. A Thorough Questioning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here’s the next chapter everybody, I hope you enjoy reading it! Before that though I’d just like to point out why I adore the entire concept of fanfiction, and basically just the premise of publishing fiction online. Right now I’m over 25% of the way to being as long as Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and Hogwarts hasn’t even started for the year yet. That’s because fanfiction is like a TV show, whereas books are more like movies, you can get away with a lot more crap in fanfiction, and it lets you get a story that focuses more on details and overarching plots and stuff. There’s not much point to this tangent, I just wanted to say why I love fanfiction. On an actually relevant note, I won’t be posting Narcissa’s time spent with Baba Yaga. I had planned to, and I’ve actually written and rewritten the section three or four times, but I hated all of them, so I decided to give up on that in favor of writing other pieces. Sorry about that. Anyway, enjoy reading, I own nothing.

**August 18th, Hogwarts?**

 

Dumbledore advanced slowly, not quite sure what was going on. He’d started his occlumency routine, like he had been every day for the past few weeks. When he had slipped into his mindscape however, he’d immediately noticed that something was wrong; this was not his mental landscape, though it looked like it might have been. Dumbledore had spent almost a century building his mental Hogwarts, and their were subtle differences everywhere, becoming more and more pronounced as he walked forward. The floor was made of the wrong type of stone, and as he continued it progressed, becoming a loose sand and then morphing into a rich soil. He couldn’t feel the wards either, he had access to none of the normal occlumency techniques he frequently utilized, no instant travel, no ability to rearrange the world; he couldn’t even exit back to the real world. As he walked towards what should be the central point of the castle, the Headmaster’s Office, the differences became even more obvious. Somehow the stone walls were shifting to more of a wood, forming a corridor of trees, which slowly parted to reveal a painted sky, the sun setting, creating a beautiful symphony of colors. As he entered what would have been the hallway leading to his office, the trees gave way entirely, revealing a grass landscape, a sea of green rippling in a slight breeze. Dotted around the lush field were a variety of more colorful plants, growing flowers, the bright buds prominent against the backdrop of green. Ahead of the aged Headmaster, right where the stairway to his office would have been, was a hill, a gentle slope that Dumbledore walked up; at the top was an odd sight, a cocoon like object of silt and loam, growing out of the earth. Surrounding it were the same types of flowers dotted around the rest of the meadow, but here they had begun to open, revealing the whirling designs and vibrant colors within. Slowly extending his hand, Dumbledore hesitantly touched the dirt cocoon in front of him. 

 

A voice carried by the breeze ghosted across Dumbledore’s ears. It was a soft motherly voice, and it felt familiar, extremely so in a way that he couldn’t quite express. “It has been a long time my child. I am so delighted to see you again. But you are not the same; something has been taken from you!” As the voice which seemed almost to glow paused momentarily, Dumbledore got the feeling he was being watched— no that he was being examined, heavily scrutinized by some other entity. As suddenly as it had arrived the feeling vanished, and the voice whispered once more, sounding almost sad this time. “I cannot restore you completely my child. I am not at my full strength, my evil enemies have wounded me in their jealousy.” The last sentence carried a hint of bitterness, of anger and disappointment, but that quickly evaporated in the next few words, which practically overflowed with protectiveness, with a caring greater than any Dumbledore had ever experienced. “I cannot give you back everything, but I can give you back some. I hope it is enough.”

 

As the voice finished, the cocoon in front of him cracked slightly, revealing a blindly bright light shining from the inside. The crack spread, and as the light washed over him, Dumbledore caught a few glimpses of somebody, of a women, of shining wings, before all of his senses were overtaken completely, the bright light washing out everything else. When the world began to shake, Dumbledore could barely process it, at least until a splitting pain, worse even then a Crucio drove itself into his head. Falling to his knees he struggled to maintain consciousness, only to gasp and nearly fall forward as he felt himself reconnect to his mindscape; a shaking from the dungeons, the carefully crafted walls and doors shrieking in protest as the locks on the doors rattled shaking, the sound of metal against wood. Suddenly, all the noise stopped with a bang, as one of the locked doors exploded outwards, the stone around the doorway cracked and damaged, and as the most intense pain yet seared itself into his head, Dumbledore briefly lost consciousness, opening his eyes a second later lying on the grass. Standing up, he looked warily towards the reformed dirt cocoon, resting on the grass hill. Massaging his throbbing head, he focused, and slipped out of his mindscape and back into the real world. He would deal with this later.

 

**August 19th, Diagon Alley**

 

Lucius looked angrily at the magazine before him, snatching it from the stand, and throwing a few sickles at the owner before he could protest.  Lady Malfoy elopes to Russia with the Prince of the Elves!  proclaimed the cover. While the reason was absurd, the fact that the publisher of this magazine not only knew of Narcissa’s absence but of where she had gone was troubling to him. Flipping it over to look at the information on the back cover his nose scrunched up slightly in distaste; this was Xenophilius’ magazine. How irritating. Turning on his heel, he disapparated with a quiet pop.

 

**Ottery St. Catchpole**

 

Xenophilius Lovegood looked up from the mess of papers on the table in front of his as a loud knock echoed through his home. He wasn’t expecting any visitors, but was pleased to get them all the same. Opening the door, he smiled and thrust out his hand, only to stiffen and pull it back as if burned as soon as he saw who exactly was standing at his door.

 

“Lord Malfoy,” he began, “to what do I owe this pleasure?” He asked, his tone of voice and the grimace on his face making it abundantly clear how much of a pleasure he thought this was.

 

To say that Xenophilius disliked the Lord’s political agenda was an understatement, especially when it came to his views on creature rights. He didn’t know what he expected from this visit, but he was certainly surprised when the latest edition of the Quibbler was practically shoved in his face.

 

“Where did you get the information for this article Mr. Lovegood?” The Malfoy Lord asked in a clipped tone, his face betraying little of the anger that was apparent in his voice. “I suggest you explain yourself before I bring your magazine to court for slandering my wife.”

 

Briefly taking the time to come up with a fictitious source, Xenophilius was just opening his mouth to speak when he was stopped by a tugging on his robes, turning his head to see his daughter standing right behind him.

 

“It’s alright Daddy,” she said in a light tone as she stepped around him and through the doorway, lifting her head to regard their visitor as she did so, “he got it from me Lord Malfoy, and if you’d like to discuss it, I suggest we go somewhere more private. After all, we wouldn’t want the Nargles to overhear.”

 

Xenophilius’ eyes widened and he opened his mouth to protest, but before he could, Lord Malfoy’s hand seized that of his daughter, and with a pop, they both vanished, leaving an extremely anxious standing in an open doorway, waiting for the former Death Eater to bring his daughter back.

 

**In A Forest On Malfoy Manor Grounds**

 

Lucius looked down at the blonde girl in front of him, eyes narrowed in suspicion. She had a vacant smile on her face, and between that and her age, it was extremely tempting not to take her seriously. At least until he looked into her silver eyes, which had a piercing quality about them, one which seemed to stare deeply into his soul. 

 

“How did you find out Narcissa was gone?” He snapped out, irritated by this odd child, who was humming calmly. “How did you find out where she went?”

 

At this, the blonde girl, Luna he supposed let out a laugh before smiling even wider. “Well those are hardly the questions you should be asking Lord Malfoy, but if you must know, the Waglops told me.”

 

Lucius let out a quiet but angry hiss at her words. He’d had a long and stressful day, and now he was being mocked by a child. His wand hand twitched slightly, and he took a deep breath to calm himself down.

 

Seeing this, Luna reached up, standing on the tips of her toes, and patted him lightly on the cheek. “Calm down Lord Malfoy. I merely wanted to get your attention. It was the only way to get you to come and speak to me.”

 

Anger still flashing in his eyes, Lucius looked down at her. “What could I possibly need to speak to you about?” He got out, irritating clear in his voice.

 

Tilting her head to the side, Lucius met her piercing eyes as she spoke. “Why, surely you’ve yet to figure out everything about your son’s mysterious guest? I’m sure I would have noticed if you had.”

 

At this, his eyes widened, and as he leaned down and spoke, his voice was slightly frantic. “What do you know about it?”

 

At this, Luna let out a laugh that sounded absolutely delighted. “Now that’s a much better question to be asking! As for the answer… I know quite a lot actually. What I’m prepared to tell you is significantly more limited however. I’ll answer three questions, and no more. Choose carefully.”

 

Lucius was about to argue, but stopped himself from doing so. He had no idea what he was dealing with here, and in cases like that, it was important to be extremely careful. Taking a deep breath, he spent several minutes in though, before shaking his head to clear his mind, and looking back down at the girl in front of him.

 

“What is it?”

 

At that, Luna grinned, before answering, shaking her head as she did so. “That is not one of the questions that I’ll be answering I’m afraid Lord Malfoy. Do try again.” 

 

Irritating but not unexpected. If she’d been planning on answering that, it would have made the three question limit rather pointless. “Is it dangerous to Draco?”

 

At this, Luna tilted her head to the side, and her eyes gained a more faraway look. When she spoke, her voice had a dreamy quality to it. “Is the wand dangerous to the wizard that wields it? Worry not for your son, but for those around him.”

 

With that answer, Lucius breathed a sigh of deep relief. At least Draco would be okay. If that was the case, then there were other things he needed to ask. “Will Narcissa be fine, wherever she is and whatever she is doing?”

 

Eyes softening just a bit, Luna smiled, almost wistfully. “That depends on her. But I would say that I think she will do well, and be safe.”

 

Not the answer he had hoped for, but not the answer he had feared. “What should I do next?” 

 

With this question, Luna’s eyes lost any remnants of the piercing look they had carried at the start of the conversation, and her voice was kind when she spoke. “Your best.” 

 

At that, she patted Lucius on the cheek once more, before disappearing with a pop and a wink.

 

**At Night, In The Mountains Somewhere**

 

Draco smiled happily as he laid on the ground, his head in Harry’s lap, and looked up at the night sky. He could see the constellation that was his namesake, as he’d been able to every night that he came here. It was one of the first things he’d learned to spot in the sky, and he was glad he had, because it was quite the constellation, if he said so himself (which he absolutely did). He laid there, looking at the night sky, and smiled as Harry’s fingers ran through his hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And that’s the chapter folks. Took me long enough. Sorry about that, I’ve been busy. Your comments have been wonderful; they let me know that people are actually reading this, and they make me want to right more. I’ll have another chapter up at some point (I hope it's soon) and I hope you enjoyed this one.


	11. A Gathering Of Knowledge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: It’s been a while folks, but I’ve finally written the next chapter. It’s been… tough. Irritatingly, first year is the one that I have the least planned out, which is incredibly frustrating, as it’s the one I have to write. Regardless, this chapter is done now, and I don’t own anything, I hope you enjoy.

**August 22nd, Hogwarts Dungeons**

 

Albus looked warily at the ruined doorway in front of him. The… incident which had caused it had taken 2 days to recover from, something which was abnormal given his rather extensive grasp of occlumency (not to brag of course). Not only that, but it appeared the damage that had been caused to his mindscape was permanent, or at the very least, extremely long lasting. Still, there was little he could do about it now, and so all that was left was to see what he could learn from his newly freed memories. Reaching his hand towards the shimmering veil that lay inside the shattered doorway, his world dissolved around him.

 

**Unknown Time, Somewhere With Mountains**

 

Dumbledore landed in the memory, brief confusion flitting across his face at the completely unknown location. He was standing at the edge of a forest, with beautiful fields in front of him. Surrounding the entire landscape were towering mountains, forming a seemingly impenetrable wall. Pensively considering this, he absentmindedly cast a  _ Tempus,  _ only to gasp in surprise, steadying himself and managing to stay on his feet. The 20th of March, 1945. The day he defeated Grindelwald. But why would he have memories of being here? He’d been in Germany that day. Shaking his head, he merely waited, and after a short moment, a much younger version of himself walk out of the forest behind him, wand drawn and a grim look on his face. Falling into step behind his younger self, the aged headmaster admitted to himself that he had no idea what was going on. It seemed fairly obvious that his current memories of this day were fabrications, but that didn’t give him any hint as to what actually occurred. The only thing he could do was watch and learn.

 

Dumbledore watched and followed as his younger self strode across the rather large meadow, aiming towards a distant figure he hadn’t noticed at first. As they got closer, Albus felt a surge of conflicting emotions rush through him. He sighed, and a bitter grin crossed his face. He guessed he should have been prepared, but seeing Gellert again, exactly as Dumbledore remembered him, untouched by his long incarceration, still hurt. Some things never change, he thought, seeing the same warring emotions play out on the face of his younger self. The former Dark Lord had his back turned to the two men, and if he could sense the Transfiguration Professor through other means, he gave no indication. Around the blond man hung a thick veil of magic; the air seemed to be more tense, and the edges of vision tended to shimmer, as if seen through heat waves. 

 

Hesitating briefly, the auburn haired man tightened his grip on his wand before opening his mouth to speak. “You don’t have to do this Gellert. You can stop now and it’ll all be over.” His voice sounded as sad and tired as Albus knew him to be.

 

“Hello Albus,” the Dark Lord said softly, in the oh so familiar voice, the one which made Dumbledore’s very heart ache, “I was wondering if you would show up.” As he spoke, he turned around, the smile on his face being just as bitter as the young Dumbledore’s own.

 

“Gellert, please.” Dumbledore’s voice was barely more than a pained whisper.

 

A short barking laugh came in response. “You know that’s not an option Albus. I’ve done too much, come too far to stop now. I will bring them back, and they will rule, as is their rightful place.”

 

“You would upset the natural order of things Gellert; to do so would be a grave mistake. Surely you must know that?”

 

“The natural order is the strong ruling over the weak. This is a perversion of the natural order; the weak imprisoning the strong. I will not be upsetting the natural order, but restoring it!”

 

Sighing, the young Dumbledore shifted his stance, dropping into one more ready for combat. “I’m sorry you feel that way Gellert. I didn’t want it to end like this.” He said, anguish evident in his voice, but a steely resolve showing on his face.

 

Shaking his head, the aged headmaster turned away, exiting the memory as the duel began. He knew how this went, and he had no desire to relive it without good reason.

 

**In A Forest Somewhere, At Night**

 

Draco laughed as the knight clopped forward two squares, brandishing his blade at a cowering bishop, only to be brained from behind by an enemy pawn. 

 

Smiling, he looked up at Harry, smiling even wider when he saw the glowing green eyes staring back at him intently. “That’s not how that works Harry!” He said, his put out tone very clearly at odds with his smiling face. 

 

Harry clearly didn’t realize Draco was only joking, as he immediately reached forward to apologize, but at Draco’s laughter, it’s progress stopped only to draw back, the moment of worry on his inhuman face gone as he cocked his head to the side, his confused look clearly showing he had no idea what he’d done. This only set Draco off laughing even harder. He’d been trying to teach Harry how to play chess, but this was much funnier. If only his father could see! He’d likely have a heart attack; chess was his favorite game.

 

**August 24th, The Ministry Of Magic**

 

Clomp. Clomp. Clomp. The sound came at a constant pace, the source being the rather bulky wooden leg worn by Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody as it hit the marble floors of the ministry building. His magic eye whirring about in his head, he walked with a purpose, and the crowds of meek little ministry workers party before him, his grizzled features and rough attitude making them wary of the veteran Auror. Normally he would find some amount of amusement in this, but today he was focused on something else. He’d received a missive from Amelia yesterday, saying she wanted to talk to him about the Tobler case. A good thing to, as he’d been about to bust down her door and demand some answers. She’d been working on something for over two months now, and was being incredibly secretive about it. So much so that Mad-Eye doubted anybody else had noticed. Except possibly Scrimengour. He was a Slytherin, and a notably Grey wizard, but Moody couldn’t help but hold a grudging respect for the man, who was canny and magically skilled. That wasn’t important now however, he thought as he came to as halt before Amelia’s door, raising his hand to knock.

 

**July 8th, 1973, Malfoy Manor**

 

Lucius had never been happier. The last few days had flown by with rose tinted wings, and the joy of young love had yet to wear off. She’d said yes! He’d expected her to, of course, otherwise he wouldn’t have asked, but a small part of him had been terrified regardless. His parents were thrilled with his choice (not that that mattered overly much, but it was an upside nonetheless), and while they might not know he had already asked, he knew they were confident in his ability to win over the young Miss Black. He smirked slightly at that. It’s not like he had been working on it for the past three years.

 

**August 26th, 1991, Malfoy Manor**

 

Lucius was walking to his study when he heard the floo flare to life unexpectedly. Whirling around, his wand was in his hand, pointing at the intruder. At least until he saw who is was. 

 

“Now Lucius dear, that’s hardly an appropriate way to greet your wife.” Came Narcissa’s teasing comment.

 

Surprise halting his reactions momentarily, it wasn’t long before he had his wife in a loving embrace. It had been over a month after all.

 

**In The Mountains Somewhere, At Night**

 

Draco’s voice was practically made of happiness as he spoke, the words coming out rapid fire in his excitement. “Mother’s back she’s been gone for ages and now she’s back and she’s gonna be able to see me go to Hogwarts and I’m gonna go to Hogwarts in five days and I can’t wait I’m so excited!” Taking a large breathe after he finished, he gave Harry a wide beaming smile before grabbing his hand and dragging him off to, well, Draco didn’t know what, but he was sure they’d find something to do.

 

**August 26th, Malfoy Manor, At Night**

 

Narcissa smiled fondly as Lucius climbed into bed and then rolled over to face her.

 

As he opened his mouth to speak, she knew what he was going to ask, but let him finish anyway. “What were you doing while you were away my love?”

 

In response, Narcissa reached over and gave her husband a loving pat on the cheek. “I’m not ready to say yet dear, but I’ll tell you that I’m working on gathering information about the creature, and what can be done about it.”

 

Accepting this with a nod, Lucius gave Narcissa a kiss and then closed his eyes.

 

**POV Switch**

 

While outwardly it appeared that Lucius was sleeping, in reality his mind was a whir of activity. He very much wanted to know what Narcissa had been doing, but he knew he wouldn’t get it from her, so he’d have to look into alternate methods of obtaining information. Not that she was the only one keeping secrets he mused; he had yet to tell her about his conversation with the Lovegood girl, and he didn’t know if he would. She’d said after all the the creature wasn’t harmful to Draco (well, she hadn’t exactly said that, but it was heavily implied), and if Narcissa believed her then she’d stop looking into it entirely. Lucius wasn’t sure what to believe though, so he thought it best that they prepare for the worst. After a while of thinking, Lucius finally dozed off. Shortly afterward, though he had no way of knowing, the mattress moved slightly as Narcissa got up and left the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it. If you did, tell me why. If you didn’t, please tell me why even more. I can always use opportunities to improve. I’ll get the next chapter up at some point. Should be quite a bit less of a wait then the last few.


	12. A Series of Meetings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter is much longer then we've had in a while, so I do hope it makes up for me not getting it up as soon as I wanted to. Sorry about that. Regardless, I hope you enjoy reading, and I own nothing.

**August 28th, Nurmengard**

 

Albus Dumbledore sighed as he looked up at the slogan emblazoned on the front gate of fortress turned prison. This was one of the rare moments where one could look at his face and see the impact left by each and every one of his 109 years. Eyes lingering on the tempting, dangerous words, Dumbledore continued onward to the prison entrance, and, after a cursory examination for Polyjuice and other similar effects, to the cell that housed the former Dark Lord.

 

Opening the door and entering the small cell, he conjured a small chair and took a seat, looking at the man in front of him, who at this point had sat up and was staring intensely at Dumbledore, his blue eyes unblinking as he waited for something to be said.

 

After a short while, Dumbledore have a soft sigh before speaking. “Hello Gellert.” He said, his voice quiet and gentle, and a multitude of conflicting emotions could be heard in it.

 

“I wasn’t expecting you today Albus,” came the rasping reply, voice worn from habitual disuse, and the stare becoming even sharper, “it’s not my birthday or the anniversary of my defeat, so what possible reason could you have to visit little old me?”

 

Pain, sadness, and regret briefly flashed through Dumbledore’s eyes, gone, or at least hidden by the time he responded to the question of his old friend. “Can I not just come to visit? Must I have a reason?” These were questions that both men knew the answers to, even if Dumbledore wished that were not the case.

 

Grindelwald’s answer came in the form of bitter laughter, which quickly devolved into a hacking cough, his body shaking, the coughing going on for almost a full minute before he stopped, breathing harshly. A concerned look on his face, Dumbledore reached into his pockets, his arm going in much farther than should have been possible without the use of magic, before withdrawing several potion vials, handing them over to the other man, who drank them without a word. Silence followed as both men sat there, examining the other once again. 

 

The silence was, in the end, broken by Grindelwald; “We both know you’re here for a reason Albus. What is it?”

 

Hesitating for several moments, the aged headmaster opened and shut his mouth several times, his normally eloquent behavior nowhere to be seen as he struggled to find the words to say. He did however, and when he spoke, his voice was nearly inaudible. “I need you to tell me about the war. What was actually going on? What were you trying to do? What happened?”

 

Grindelwald’s eyes visibly widened at Dumbledore’s response, and for a moment, before he clamped down on them with Occlumency, Dumbledore was able to see the vast sea of emotions roiling within them. Surprise. Fear. Happiness. Regret. Hope. It took a moment for the former Dark Lord to compose himself before he spoke. “I can’t Albus. You’re going to have to figure this out on your own.” As the other man opened his mouth the protest, he was cut off, Grindelwald’s voice taking on a sharper tone. “Albus. You have delved deep into esoteric magic. You know there are some things that cannot be spoken of, and some things that should not be spoken of. Here, now, at this time, this is both.” He paused here, and when he continued, his voice was much softer, and the sadness in it was easy to pick out. “Now if that was all Albus, I am tired, and I am old, and I would prefer it if I could rest.”

 

Sighing, Dumbledore rose with a nod, the chair vanishing as he did so. Looking around the small cramped room for a second, Dumbledore flicked his wand, all the dirt and grime vanishing, and a subtle thrum of energy settling over the space. Taking one last look at his former lover and enemy, and what he hoped was his current friend, Dumbledore exited the cell, and shortly after that the prison, his mind weary and his heart heavy.

 

**Shortly Afterwards, Same Location**

 

Sitting alone in his cell, the imprisoned Dark Lord was thoughtful. Albus had most likely remembered some of what had happened, though at the moment he had no idea how much. That was sure to be an interesting story. Thinking silently, sitting completely still, it was almost an hour before Grindelwald moved again. If anybody had been there to see him, his actions would surely have caused them great concern, as he moved slowly around his small cell, fingers dragging across the weathered stone. Stopping suddenly, he was still for a moment before a look of intense concentration formed on his face, and he slowly pushed his hand into the stone, reaching into the walls of his prison, which had once been a fortress of his own design. A few minutes later, the former Dark Lord withdrew his hand, his eyes alight, and more filled with light them they had been in years, the familiar shape of a wand, his wand, clutched firmly in his grasp.

 

**September 1st, Platform 9 ¾, Morning**

 

“Do I really have to go?” Came Draco’s plaintive whine, his voice muffled as his face was buried in Narcissa’s robes.

 

Smiling fondly at her son, Narcissa tightened her embrace, before leaning down slightly to whisper in his ear. “You’ll get used to it Draco. Just remember, no matter where any of us are, and no matter what any of us are doing, your father and I will always love you. Nothing can change that.” Pausing slightly, she straightened before continuing at a normal volume in a somewhat teasing tone. “Besides, you’re going to love Hogwarts. We may have trouble getting you to come home. Now come dear, let’s get your stuff on board, the train will be leaving soon.”

 

Helping her son load his luggage, she watched him board the train, a wistful smile on her face. She and Lucius stood there until the train was completely out of sight, at which point they disappeared with a pop. There was much to do. It was for Draco after all.

 

**A Short While Later, On The Train**

 

Draco looked up from his book as the door to his compartment slid open and a bushy haired, slightly buck-toothed girl peeked in. Raising an eyebrow slightly (a habit he’d picked up from his godfather), his voice was cordial as he spoke. “Hello there. Can I help you with something?” It was, after all, unlikely that she was still looking for a compartment thirty minutes into the journey.

 

“Oh, I was just wondering if you’d seen a toad, you see a boy named Neville lost his, and he seemed rather put out about it, so I offered to help, but it’s a rather big train you see so we’re having a bit of an issue about it,” Frowning slightly here, the bushy haired girl continued on at a rapid clip, apparently having no need for such mundane things as breathing. “not that I’ve had much help mind you, a lot of people have been incredibly rude, and I’m almost positive that what that one boy said was a slur.” Stopping here, having apparently succumbed to the need for oxygen. Her eyes widened slightly and she opened her mouth again. “Where are my manners, I apologize, my name is Hermione, Hermione Granger, it’s nice to meet you.”

 

Muggleborn or half-blood, Draco noted. Probably the first given her comment about the slur. His father had told him to be mindful of who he made friends with, and it was rather clear what he’d meant by that. As soon as he’d left the room however, his mother had told Draco to ignore him, and that he only needed to worry about making friends, though she would prefer it if they were at least moderately intelligent. 

 

Smiling slightly wider, Draco responded. “Likewise. I’m Draco Malfoy. As for the toad, the summoning charm is probably best. I can do it for you if you want.” As he said this he reached for his bag to get out his wand. 

 

Before he could however, the girl, Hermione, started talking again at the same rapid clip. “Of course, how could I forget, I read about that it seemed very useful, it’s fourth year though I didn’t think anybody else would have read that far, it looks pretty simple, I haven’t tried it yet but I should be able to pull it off.” Here she pulled her wand out of her pocket and paused, taking a breathe before giving it a wave and intoning “ _ Accio Neville’s Toad!” _

 

Nothing happened for a while, and Draco was just opening his mouth to offer to cast the charm again when a small dark green form flew into the room and landed with a croak in Hermione’s waiting hand. Well that was… completely unfair. It had taken him almost two days to learn that charm.

 

Making a decision, Draco opened his mouth to speak once again. “That was impressive! I’m sure you already have a compartment, but if you’d like you can sit in here. I could always use some intelligent conversation.”

 

Going slightly red at his words, Hermione's response was much less confident than everything she had said previously. “Oh! Um, yeah. Yeah! I’d love that! I have to go find Neville and give him his toad, but after that I’ll grab my stuff.”

 

With that, she hurried out of the compartment, the door sliding shit behind her. Returning to his book, Draco found himself rather pleased with how that went. Maybe he wouldn’t be as lonely as he’d thought.

 

**The Great Hall, 7:00 pm**

 

Dumbledore watched the incoming first years, excited as always to see his new students. He had an eye on Mr. Malfoy in particular, more specifically on the thing he saw following the boy. Or rather, didn’t see. It was quite irritating that even with his rather exceptional ability to see magic that he was unable to see the creature at all. The only thing he was able to make out was where the creature should be; a feat he would not have been capable of had it not been for his rather extensive study of a particular invisibility cape.

 

He was reaching for his goblet of water when he suddenly stiffened as a voice whispered in his ear, seemingly carried on the wind. “There is great danger here my child. It is the greatest of all evils! The strongest of all my enemies. Be ever vigilant, lest the darkness overtake your castle.” This was the voice of the woman he’d seen in his mindscape. Only this time it sounded angry, as if it had seen something it hated beyond belief. It was a rather jarring effect given the caring undertones the voice still carried. As he retrieved his goblet he looked around, receiving a pointed glance from Severus. Dumbledore grimaced. Apparently the potions master had noticed. That wasn’t a conversation he wanted to happen just yet. Pushing his thoughts aside, he noted the sorting had started, and he paid close attention, interested, as always, in his students.

 

**Slytherin Dormitory, After The Sorting**

 

Draco looked excitedly around his new room, which already had all of his stuff in in, before grabbing what he needed, and going into the bathroom to prepare for bed. As he did so, he smiled, thinking. He was the only one out of the Slytherin boys who had their own room, something he was certain Uncle Severus was responsible for. His new friend Hermione Granger had been sorted into Ravenclaw, and had smiled widely at him before sitting down. Draco could tell already that that was going to be an… interesting friendship. As he got ready for bed he smiled. He couldn’t wait to tell Harry about his day. Hogwarts was great so far. Though he did miss his mother and father already, he thought as he drifted asleep.

 

**Ottery St Catchpole**

 

Beside a river, near a sloped house shaped like a chess piece sat a young blonde haired girl. This girl was Luna Lovegood, something which she knew with certainty, because she remembered being Luna Lovegood all her life. Watching the river in front of her, Luna saw glittering shapes, flitting in and out of the ripples in the water. As she looked around, she saw a sinuous creature of pink and yellow flow down from a nearby tree, and move towards her. She smiled dreamily and gave it a wave.   
  


“Hello Mister Flumpner! How are you doing today?” Luna asked.

  
She didn’t know why the creatures only talked to her, but she was grateful for their companionship regardless. They’d been there all her life, the only other person who noticed them being her mother. The creature made some glooping sounds as she cocked her head to listen. Smiling even wider at what she had heard,  Luna looked back towards the river. As Luna watched the river, and the creatures in it, the wind sang to her. It sang songs of death, of despair, of triumph and love, and as she sat there, Luna raised her voice to sing along.   
  


**Later That Night, Somewhere In Eastern Romania**

 

Narcissa Malfoy looked up at the extravagant mansion in front of her. As lightning struck mere inches from her, she rolled her eyes. Somebody’s sense of theatrics was massively overblown. Walking up the stairs, Narcissa let the elaborate knocker fall three times. After a brief wait, the door opened with a loud creak to  reveal a barely lit hallway, lined with intimidating armor and portraits. As she walked down the hallway, she ignored the way the shadows moved with her, walking forward, head held high, until she came to another door, this one beautifully gilded in intricate designs of gold. Reaching out, Narcissa pushed open the door, and stepped through it into an opulent throne room, done up in vibrant tones of blood red. She walked down the carpet towards the throne, crowds of people on either side. Upon the throne sat an imposing man, elegantly dressed, with black hair and a toothy grin.

 

Coming to a stop before the man, who she knew to be the Count, she waited for him to speak first, which he did, in a voice dripping with boredom and sarcasm. “Well well well. What on earth could bring you to my humble abode Narcissa  _ Malfoy _ ?” Leaning slightly towards her, his eyes narrowed as he continued. “Especially after you insulted us by declining our incredibly generous offer.”

 

Ignoring the sarcasm and accompanying remarks, Narcissa opted to simply answer the question. “I wish to speak to the Council of Elders.”

 

“And what possible motivation could I have to grant that request? You’ve spoken to the Council once before, as I’m sure you remember, and that is a privilege which is rarely granted to any human even once.” Sitting back on his throne, he continued speaking. “Besides, I could get so much more from this. The Malfoy name has caused much trouble for my people in Britain, and I think it is time to repay that debt. Don’t you  _ Lady Malfoy _ ?”

 

As soon as he finished speaking, the waiting crowds surged towards Narcissa, their eyes red, fangs and claws glinting in the torchlight.

 

As the crowd of vampires closed in, Narcissa’s hand swiftly plunged into her robes, withdrawing holding a glowing object. As the light surged outwards on all sides, those vampires closest to her jumped back with a snarl.   
  
“You seem to have forgotten  _ Elder Dracula _ ,” Narcissa hissed out, back straight as she glared at the monster in front of her, “That before I was a Malfoy, I was a Black, and you’ve had much more trouble with them then Lucius could have caused you in centuries sitting on the Wizengamot.”

 

In an instant he was at the edge of the light, having moved almost to fast for the eye to see. When he spoke, his voice was entirely bereft of the boredom that had previously been present. “Not a Malfoy after all then! Narcissa Black. What an absolute delight!” A moment later and he was right beside her, the glowing orb, an artificial sun, in his hands. “It looks like I won’t kill you after all,” the Count continued, briefly examining the artifact before placing it back in her hand. “Still, that does not mean I will allow you to speak to the Council. My words remain true. Never has that privilege been granted twice to the same mortal, not as long as they remained as such.” Turning away, he walked back to his throne at a pace that would be relatively fast for a human, but was almost inconceivably slow to a vampire, especially one of his power.

 

That is what she had expected. That is what she had prepared for. Taking a deep breath, Narcissa spoke, managing to keep any sign of her anxiety out of her voice. “How about a deal? You try to turn me, and if you cannot manage it before dawn, then I am allowed to speak to the Council.” 

 

Dracula froze mid stride, turning around to look at Narcissa with an interesting look in his eyes. When he spoke, it was soft, almost a purr, and danger hung off of every syllable. “And do you think you have a chance against an Elder? Dawn is a couple hours yet Lady Black. I would think on your deal further.”

 

Straightening up further, Narcissa looked the powerful vampire directly in the eyes. “I would fight not Elder Dracula, but rather Count Dracula. A difficult opponent rather than an impossible one.”

 

Letting out a dark laugh, the Count smiled. “Very well then Narcissa. We shall fight till dawn, or until you have been turned. Begin.”

 

With that final word, Count Dracula attacked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So that's the chapter folks. I hope you enjoyed. I'm planning on having the next bit up at some point tomorrow, as this was a bit of a cliffhanger. I would say later tonight but I have things I need to do and that's actually why this chapter ends the way it does. Please leave a comment if you would, it helps let me know that people are reading it, which is always nice. Toodles!


	13. A Heated Fight, And A Surprise Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So this is a couple days late. Sorry about that. I slept all day Thursday when I was supposed to be writing this. Anyway I’ll let you get to reading it. I don’t own anything. Oh! Actually that’s not it. Just as a warning, because it becomes relevant here, I haven’t watched either of the Fantastic Beasts movies, and I don’t care what happens in them, it has no effect on this story.

**Ottery St Catchpole, 6 PM, September 1st**

 

Xenophilius Lovegood looked up from his parchment at the sound of his daughter coming down the stairs. He cocked his head to the side when he saw the full bag on her shoulder.

 

In response he received a beaming smile, as well as the answer to his unspoken question. “I’m going to go stay over with Ginny tonight if that’s okay with you Daddy!”

 

He nodded his head immediately, and watched fondly as his daughter walked out the door, before turning back to the article he was writing. He was so glad she was making new friends, he’d hate to think of his darling little girl being lonely.

 

**Eastern Romania, Late At Night, Inside The Mansion Of Count Dracula**

 

_ Letting out a dark laugh, the Count smiled. “Very well then Narcissa. We shall fight till dawn, or until you have been turned. Begin.” _

 

_ With that final word, Count Dracula attacked. _

 

A slight blur of movement, almost imperceptible, was all the warning Narcissa got before the vampire was on her. Jumping back instinctively, she closed her eyes: sight wasn’t helpful when your opponent was this fast. There! Bringing her hand up in a movement so fast it should have snapped her arm, Dracula’s incoming punch was blocked by Narcissa’s splayed palm. The air around the impact rippled as if it was water. There! And there! A flurry of blows rained down, and the air roiled.

 

Taking advantage of a sudden gap in the blows, Narcissa brought her hands together, and a clap like thunder sounded out, a shockwave rushed out, pushing everything away, and slamming the vampiric Count up against the raised dias upon which his throne sat. Thrusting her hand out towards him before he could recover, Narcissa pushed, and watched as he slowly sunk into the structure, his arms and legs trapping themselves in the stone. Satisfied, Narcissa spun and disappeared with a pop, reappearing outside of the mansion just a she heard a thunderous crash and a resounding roar of fury. Breaking into a run, she felt wooden shrapnel hit her as the door to the mansion exploded, and an enraged vampire cane soaring out.

 

She gasped as claws wrapped around the back of her neck and she was pulled into the air. “Running a way already Narcissa?” A voice growled in her ear, and she felt cold breath on her suddenly very exposed neck.

 

“No,” she managed to gasp out, “I just didn’t want to break anything.” The sky exploded into fire, and the roar of a dragon could be heard.

 

**September 1st, 7 PM, Nurmengard**

 

A soft hissing sound could be heard as a oily black gas poured out through the cracks in Grindelwald’s prison door. He stood behind it, wand held in a steady hand, the smog-like substance pouring out of the tip. As he stood there, the gas poured out faster and faster, until, with a sigh, the heavily warded door simply gave up, melting into a pool of fetid sludge on the ground. Stepping over the liquid, Grindelwald smiled as he felt the wards of his long time fortress spark back to life around him. Sadly though, he could not stay for long, but, he thought, caressing the familiar stone, he would certainly be coming back. With a smile and a pop, he disappeared, leaving behind nothing but silence. At least until the wailing of alarms sounded through the night.

 

**Back In Romania, Outside Dracula’s Mansion**

 

As Narcissa fell from the sky, she hit the ground and kept going, the earth parting briefly, forming a passageway in which she could run. She’d only get one chance to do this correctly, and she didn’t have much time before he decided dig her out. Tracing her hands across the earthen walls, she began to carve.

 

**9 PM, Hogwarts Headmaster’s Office**

 

Dumbledore flashed into his office with a burst of flame, rushing to the instruments sitting behind his desk, several of which were screaming frantically. It couldn’t be! It took him less than a minute to confirm what the devices were telling him: Grindelwald had escaped, broken the tracking charms, and Dumbledore had no idea where he could have gone. Why now? As soon as he asked that he knew. It must have been him asking the question; it must be related to the first war. That meant it was only more important that Dumbledore figure out what was going on. For now though, he had to run damage control.

 

**Romania Once Again, Outside The Mansion**

 

Narcissa flung herself backwards as her hastily transfigured earthen barrier exploded into stone shrapnel and Dracula’s shadow spear stabbed where she had been moments before. 

 

“That’s a little bit deadly for a match between friends,” she screamed, yelling to be heard over the crackle of the lightning she was throwing back.

 

A sudden vice-like grip on each of her arms had her struggling to get free, even as her opponent whispered in her ear. “The transformation would heal such measly wounds Narcissa darling.”

 

Narcissa closed her eyes, and time seemed to slow down around her. Her heart beat. Her magic searched. Down, deep into the ground she sent it, down through the earth, the stone, past the monumental amount of everything, all the way down into the heart, the heat of the mountain.

 

Her ears barely registered it when Dracula spoke, because her mind was so far away. “Your blood smells so very delicious Narcissa dear. It’s been oh so very long since I’ve turned somebody with the Black blood running this strongly through their veins.”

 

She felt him move as he cared his fangs and prepared to turn her, and then she gasped as she held her magic out, and the mountains responded. Her eyes shot open, and they glowed the color of liquid stone. When she spoke, her voice was heavy with the weight of innumerable ages. “You want blood? Have the blood of the mountains!” And from her skin poured magma, the flowing stone burning hotter than any fire.

 

**Shortly After 9 PM, Nurmengard**

 

Dumbledore breezed through the gates, ignoring, for once, the inscription upon them. Now was not the time for guilt. Walking up the pathway, he opened the door with a flick of his wand, breaking a number of locks and wards with a flick of his wand. He could deal with the guards later; for now he had to try and track the escaped Dark Lord, and hopefully recapture him before news got out. What he saw had him halting his purposeful strides however; the guards, all eight of them, were unconscious, slumped in their seats. This wouldn’t have bothered Dumbledore, except that the front door was still locked, which meant that Grindelwald hadn’t exited through it, and these men had no reason to be unconscious. A silent  _ Enervate _ and a few minutes later, and Dumbledore was walking towards the cell that had housed Grindelwald, cursing under his breath. The men had been Obliviated. He was sure there was another intruder in the prison, and thus he wasn’t that surprised when he got to the cell and there was already somebody there. He was surprised, however, to see a familiar blonde woman sitting on the small bed, her smile exactly the same as it had been forty three years ago.

 

**Romania, Outside The Mansion**

 

Dracula screamed as his flesh burned, and he let go of the woman he was holding. He’d seen that before! The magic even tasted similar! Diving towards the figure below him, he slammed the full force of his body into the shield she’d brought up, driving her and the orb of force she was maintaining almost a foot into the ground. 

 

When he spoke, a growl was audible in his voice. “I recognize Hag magic when I taste it Narcissa!” As he spoke, he hammered the shield again and again. “When did you start taking lessons from the bitch?”

 

Receiving no answer from his opponent, except for the increased levels of strain visible on her face, he pulled back his fist one more, only to find that the shield, along with Narcissa herself, had vanished with a pop. Snarling, the vampire dove into the shadows cast by a sudden flash of lightning, searching for his prey.

 

**Nurmengard, The Former Cell Of Grindelwald**

 

“Hello Albus Dumbledore. It’s been quite awhile.” Spoke the young woman, her voice soft and gentle, though Dumbledore could sense the steel behind it.

 

Warily, his wand aimed on the woman in front of him, he responded. “I’m afraid I find myself at a disadvantage. I never got your name.”

 

“No, you didn’t.” She said, and there was a brief period of silence, as that just hung in the air, before she continued. “You may call me Cinnidh if you wish.”

 

“Very well… Cinnidh,” Dumbledore answered, his wand not wavering from the woman. “What are you doing here? Was it you who helped Grindelwald escape?”

 

The smile on her face became even more knowing, and Dumbledore could swear her eyes had just twinkled. “You’ve already asked your questions Dumbledore, and you do not get get to ask anymore. Instead, I leave you with something to ponder. If you were forced to choose, who would you say is the Ruler of Man?” And with that, she simply faded away, as if she had never been there in the first place, leaving him alone in the cell, his only company a newly visible body: one which, though it looked like Grindelwald, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt was not.

 

**Romania**

 

Narcissa stiffened as she felt something splatter against her shield, and her body briefly glowed a deep red before her magic tightened around her. Turning around, she saw Dracula, his eyes burning, and blood pouring down his left arm.

 

“No more of that.” He spat out as he approached, shadowy spear in his hands once again.

 

With that, he brought it around, and with a sound like shattering glass, the shield around Narcissa collapsed, and she was sent flying, landing heavily several meters away, vision going slightly fuzzy from the blow she’d taken when she landed. Feeling herself being pulled up, she started moving her hand as soon as it came in contact with the vampire, her desperate movements leaving lines of her blood on his skin.

 

“No more tricks.” He growled, leaning towards her neck, his grip on her arms like iron.

 

“Actually,” she coughed, some blood coming out when she did so, “maybe just one more.”

 

With that, she wrenched forward, fighting against his grip, only to let out a cry when her left arm snapped with a sickening crack. Except, there had been two cracking sounds, and she was no longer restrained, Dracula’s left arm hanging limply at his side. Closing her eyes and bracing herself, she disappeared, leaving a pop, and a wounded vampire to follow.

 

**Malfoy Manor, At The Same Time**

 

Lucius sat up in his bed with a cry. Narcissa! Scrambling out of bed, he frantically rifled through the doors of his bedside table, searching for the pocket watch he always carried. He’d felt their marriage bond lurch, shudder and almost disappear. Finding the watch he looked at it, and felt his chest tighten. It said she was in Mortal Danger, and it was moving towards Dead.

 

**Romania**

 

Dracula surged out of the shadows a few feet behind Narcissa. He hadn’t expected her to try that again. Judging by how much she was shaking, he assumed she was regretting it. Striding towards her, he watched her stumble forward a few steps, only to fall to her knees. As he got to her, she reached into her robes with her trembling right arm, and pulled out a glowing orb. Dracula briefly felt the burn of sunlight, only for it to fall out of her hands and shatter on the stones at the edge of the cliff. Kneeling down, he gently took her in his arms. He had one, there was no need to be cruel at this point. Baring his fangs, he prepared to sink his teeth into Lady Black, only to stop as he felt the familiar burn once again, and the sun rose in the sky behind him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And that’s the chapter folks. Sorry about the timing and whatnot. There was another bit that was supposed to be in here, but I decided this was a better place to stop. Thank you all for reading, and I’d love it if you’d leave a comment telling me what you think. Toodles!


	14. A Sore Loser and Other Such Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here’s the next chapter folks. Sorry about the wait. Like. Really sorry about the wait. I had 900 words of this done like 3 months ago, but with extreme business combined with a healthy dose of random bleeeeh-itude, I couldn’t get the chapter to a point where I felt comfortable posting it. I know I’ve said this before, but I should have a better update schedule in future (for at least 2 months or so) because it’s summer now. Regardless, enjoy, and thanks for continuing to read.

**Romania, Outside Dracula’s Mansion, September 2nd, Sunrise**

Baring his fangs, he prepared to sink his teeth into Lady Black, only to stop as he felt the familiar burn once again, and the sun rose in the sky behind him.

A realization hit him as he sat there, and he snarled, restraining himself from tightening his grip, a move which would have certainly broken Narcissa’s other arm. Eyes furious, he shoved his magic as hard as he could into her barely moving body, before rising, and, in one swift movement, throwing her into the open air in front of him. Turning towards his mansion, he was only walking for less than a minute before Lady Black landed in front of him with a pop.

Straightening her thoroughly disheveled appearance with a flick of her wrist, she looked towards the vampire, her eyes showing her disapproval. “That sort of behavior is hardly called for. Don’t be a sore loser.”

“You cheated!” He snarled, his eyes burning with rage, even though in reality, he was hardly angry any more; he’d only been truly consumed by his emotions for a moment.

He received a derisive chuckle from Narcissa, who fell into step at his side as he headed back towards the mansion. “Of course I did. Losing would have been unacceptable.”

Sighing, the vampiric Count discarded his rage completely. “I probably lost a few servants from that little stunt. How long will it last?”

“Only a few more hours. It should dissipate once actual dawn approaches.”

“You did well.” The vampire Elder grudgingly admitted. “Though I find myself insulted that you would go to the crone for help fighting me. Regardless, the Council shall meet at sundown at Elder Bathory’s Castle in two days time.” Opening the door to the mansion as they arrived, he gave Narcissa a sarcastic smile. “After you my Lady.”

**The Forbidden Forest, September 2nd, 2 AM, At The Same Time**

In a clearing in the trees, two figures stood, looking up at the stars. One was blonde and small, for a centaur at least, and the other was a towering figure, with braided white hair covering most of his back.

The smaller one, Firenze, sighed and spoke, never taking his eyes off of the night sky. “The coming times will not be easy Elder Magorian, not at Hogwarts, and not anywhere else either. The stars are clouded; the present seems no longer to be very clear at all, let alone the future.”

Dragging his eyes off of the sky, Magorian knelt, resting his tattooed palms on the earth. “Something has been interfering, the stars will likely be clouded for a long while.” Continuing to kneel, he turned his head towards the other Elder. “For now though, we must do what we can to protect the forest, the castle, and all who live here. That is all we can do.”

A soft sigh was heard from the edge of the clearing, and both centaurs whipped around towards it, their stances shifting to ones more suitable for combat. The source of the noise stepped forward, a pretty blonde woman, with silver eyes, and a deceptively tranquil smile. Magorian slid into a more relaxed pose as soon as he laid eyes on the woman (though if you were to look closely, you’d see how tense he was, as if he was preparing himself to flee at any moment). After Firenze’s sidelong glance received a subtle shake of the head, the other centaur was quick to adopt a similar stance.

As the woman walked forward, Magorian dropped into a bow, though he was quick to straighten, his dark eyes locked firmly on the woman in front of him, who looked up at him, amusement dancing in her eyes. “What brings you to our forest tonight my lady?”

Giving a short laugh and patting him on the cheek, jumping slightly to do so, the woman responded, though she avoided answering the question. “Oh Magorian, cheer up! It’s almost like you aren’t happy to see me!”

“I don’t know how I should feel my lady.” Responded the large centaur, drawing back from the woman slightly, “I know nothing of your plans, or of what they mean for us, and the stars offer now guidance.”

The woman’s face remained tranquil, but when she spoke, her voice was laced with disdain. “Do you need the stars to find your way? Have you truly fallen so far? You are an Elder, Magorion, you are supposed to guide your people through the darkest of times.” Here she turned to face Firenze, her eyes steely, and her gaze piercing. “The light of the stars shines in the bright times, and is dim in the dark. You must learn to see in both, or else you, and your people, will fall.” With that, she turned, and walked deeper into the forest. Both of the centaurs stood silently and watched her go, not quite knowing what else they could do.

**In The Mountains Somewhere, At Night**

Draco looked curiously at the dark cave entrance in front of him.

Turning his head to look up at Harry, he gave fond smile. “I can’t see in there Harry, it’s too dark.” Saying that, he stepped forward, walking into the cave, the beautiful orbs of light he’d become accustomed to drifting forward from Harry’s outstretched hand. The lights followed him as he walked, and though he couldn’t hear him walking, Draco knew that Harry did as well. After walking for a few minutes, Draco stopped when the cave floor leveled out, no longer the downwards slope it had been. Turning around, he looked up at Harry.

“Where are we going?” He asked, curiosity coloring his voice; regardless of where it was, he was sure that he’d love it.

In response, Harry simply pointed deeper into the cave. Rolling his eyes as he turned around, Draco started forward again. He stopped once more however several yards later as the tunnel opened up into a cavern.

“Is it here?” He asked, not bothering to turn around, as Harry stopped standing right next to him.

A touch, and an affirmative feeling washed over him, before a stronger, yet still gentle light appeared in a glowing orb, hovering just a few inches off of Harry’s other hand, which was stretched out in front of him. As soon as Draco’s eyes adjusted, he gasped. The large cavern in front of him glittered like the night sky, as the light reflected of the thousands of colorful crystals that coated the cavern’s walls. Speechless, Draco simply turned and gave Harry a hug, before wandering into the cavern for a closer look.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And that’s all folks! Thanks for reading! Leave a comment to tell me what you think; criticism is helpful, flames are funny, and everything else is just very very nice and makes me feel good. I’ll have the next chapter up at... some point (should be within the next few days). But until then, Toodles!


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